PRESS RELEASE

August 29, 2019

Jordan Thomas Convicted of Murder for a Second Time

Montgomery County, Ala. – A second Montgomery County jury has found Jordan Thomas guilty of murder for the October 2012 killing of Dennis Johnson, District Attorney Daryl Bailey announced. Thomas was first convicted of murder in 2014, but his conviction was overturned when the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals held that the jury charges in his first trial were incomplete.

The evidence at trial showed the murder stemmed from an ongoing dispute between Thomas and the victim. Thomas approached and shot the victim while he was sitting on his friend’s porch before fleeing the scene and disposing of the murder weapon.

Thomas again claimed self-defense and testified that he shot and killed the victim after the victim produced a gun and pointed it in his direction. Eyewitness testimony disputed that allegation and showed that the victim never produced any kind of weapon before he was shot.

Thomas was sentenced by Judge Charles Price to 75 years upon his previous conviction. He will now be resentenced by Judge J.R. Gaines on October 4, 2019, and faces a possible sentencing range of 20 years to life in prison. Thomas was taken into custody upon his conviction and will remain incarcerated until sentencing.

District Attorney Daryl Bailey expressed his appreciation to Deputy District Attorneys Scott Green, Shanitra Jackson, Ben Gibbons, and MaryLou Bowdre for their work on this case. He also thanked DA Investigators Andrew Magnus, Terrance James, John Brown, and John Wilson for their tireless efforts in the investigation and prosecution of the case.

District Attorney Bailey said: “I am happy that my office could bring justice to this family for a second time. Twenty-four citizens of Montgomery County have now heard the defendant’s case and convicted him of the heinous crime he committed. There is simply no place in our community for these violent criminals, and I will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that each and every one of them is held accountable for their actions and sent to prison.”

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