A man from Birmingham was found guilty on Thursday for the shooting death of another man in Gate City last year.
Cedric Lamar Willis, 37, was initially charged with murder in the slaying of Morrion Montrie Hamilton, 43, on June 11, 2022. However, a Jefferson County jury convicted Willis on a reduced charge of provocation manslaughter.
Under Alabama law, a person is guilty of manslaughter if they cause the death of another person under circumstances that would constitute murder, except that they caused the death due to a sudden heat of passion caused by provocation recognized by law, and before a reasonable time for the passion to cool and for reason to reassert itself.
East Precinct officers responded to a report of gunfire in the 7500 block of 66th Court Way South in Gate City at 4:40 p.m. on that Saturday.
Upon arrival, they discovered Hamilton unresponsive in an alley. The officers applied pressure to the victim’s wounds until Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service arrived. Hamilton was transported to UAB Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. He had been shot multiple times.
At least 10 shots were fired, according to the city’s gunfire detection system, Shot Spotter, and police found numerous shell casings. The authorities at the time stated that it appeared the victim was involved in an argument with the suspect, who fled in a vehicle after firing the deadly shots.
The trial began on Monday before Jefferson County Circuit Judge Kechia Davis. Jefferson County deputy district attorneys Amanda Wineman and Lauren Breland are prosecuting the case, with Willis being represented by the Jefferson County Public Defender’s Office.
Willis had previously pleaded guilty in 2015 to third-degree robbery and was ordered to serve 18 months of a 13 ½-year sentence. In 2016, he pleaded guilty to discharging a gun into an occupied building and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with two to serve. Willis is set to be sentenced on October 3 by Judge Davis.
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