Alabama Plea Hearing for Sweet Sixteen Shooting

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is addressing concerns about plea deals in the deadly

sweet 16 shooting in Daveville.

Five of the six suspects are set for plea hearings instead of trials, while the six faces charges

as a youthful offender with a sealed case.

The shooting happened on April 15, 2023, killing four young people and injuring 25 others.

The suspects face four counts of reckless murder and multiple assault charges.

In rural areas like this, one deal with big backlogs because courts only hold a couple

of jury terms a year.

That means trials for cases like this could drag on until at least 2027.

To fix that, the state passed a speedy trial act, which lets local prosecutors use retired

judges to speed things up and clear the log jam.

Officials say please avoid the uncertainty of trials and offer consistent outcomes without

appeals.

The plea hearing is tomorrow at 9 a.m., and Marshall hopes the victim's families get a say

as everyone works toward closure and healing.

That's your update from Birmingham News Today, powered by AI, I'm Corey with The Story.