25th Judicial Circuit

By Scott Johnson
Managing Editor

Double Springs - Jimmy Dale Cooper has pleaded guilty to the murder of Donnie Miller and Linda Cole and has been sentenced to life in prison without the opportunity of parole.
The development abruptly closes the five-year-old case that only lasted three hours in its jury setting,  held at the Winston County Courthouse in Double Springs.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and the 25th Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office is marking the event with displays outside of Marion and Winston counties’ courthouse buildings. The campaign has taken place every April since 1983 and is dedicated to raising awareness and preventing child abuse. District Attorney Scott Slatton and the 25th Judicial District Attorney’s office are participating in Child Abuse Prevention month by implementing Pinwheels for Prevention.

HAMILTON - Prosecutors and defense attorneys have agreed to transfer the trial of double-homicide suspect Jimmy Cooper to Winston County.
Marion County Circuit Clerk Denise Mixon provided the Journal Record with an order filed on Thursday, Oct. 15, in 25th Judicial Circuit Court by Judge Lee Carter, issuing the venue change.
Carter’s order also scheduled a jury trial to hear Cooper’s case  on Feb. 22, 2021, at 9 a.m., at the Bobby R. Aderholt Judicial Complex in Double Springs.

Hamilton - During late February and early March pre-trial hearings in 25th Judicial Circuit Court, Marion County District Attorney Scott Slatton’s office accepted 75 guilty pleas.
During the hearings, which took place Feb. 25-27 and March 9 in Hamilton, The DA’s office also recommended 16 cases be dismissed and reached agreements on 10 additional cases for them to be placed on the inactive docket in order for defendants to complete certain requirements before official dismissal.

HAMILTON - A gag order has been issued in Jimmy Cooper’s case by 25th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Lee Carter.
According to official court documents, Carter handed down the order on Tuesday, Feb. 25, prohibiting lawyers, law firms, government agencies, law enforcement officers, court personnel, witnesses and legal representatives from making any extrajudicial statements or releasing any information concerning the case.

Hamilton - Twenty-fifth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Lee Carter is asking prosecutors and defense attorneys to be ready for Jimmy Cooper, 61, Hamilton, to be tried this summer.
The 25th Judicial Circuit Court held a trial status conference for Cooper on Wednesday morning, Feb. 19, to hear motions by defense attorneys Brian White of Decatur and Jack Stanton Glasscox of Tuscaloosa.

HAMILTON - Scott Slatton, district attorney for the 25th Judicial Circuit, has announced Leslie Smith as his office’s new Victim’s Services Officer (VSO), which will service both Marion and Winston counties.
Slatton announced Smith as the new VSO on social media on Saturday, Jan. 25, noting the position is funded by the $6.3 million grant awarded in December 2018 by Gov. Kay Ivey and the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA). The monies are being used to fund a total of 88 VSOs statewide.

HAMILTON – A Hamilton man has been denied immunity for his involvement in the Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2018, shooting that resulted in the death of Lorenzo Garcia.
Christopher Andrew Cochran, 30, Hamilton, allegedly shot and killed Garcia, 48, last Christmas during a child custody exchange at the Hamilton Police Department.
A court order filed Dec. 10 and released by Marion County Circuit Clerk Denise Mixon shows that 25th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Daryl Burt denied an immunity motion filed by Cochran based on self-defense.

HAMILTON - Candice Cheyanne Beaty, 29, Winfield, has been convicted of first-degree robbery and felony murder in connection with the death of William Jerome Henry in April 2016.
According to court documents released by Marion County Circuit Clerk Denise Mixon, Beaty pled guilty to the charges in 25th Judicial Circuit Court on Nov. 12 and was ordered by Circuit Judge Lee Carter to serve a 30-year sentence in the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) and to pay up to $750 in restitution.

(The Journal Record is publishing this story that occurred in June as it was not covered at the time. The Journal Record  attempts to publish information in a timely fashion; However, if we ever overlook stories or events important to our readership, we will gladly set the record straight.)