3rd participant convicted in Gatlin murder

Apr. 16—A Limestone County jury announced a guilty verdict Friday against the third member of a group accused of killing a man they meant to rob of his tax refund, records show.

Terry Dale Amerson is the third and final person in the group to be tried for the July 2017 murder of Brenton Gatlin. Prosecutors said Amerson plotted with Kandes Elizabeth Lambert and Marty Gene Stafford to lure Gatlin to a home on Horton Street in Athens, where they would rob him of several hundred dollars.

However, Stafford pulled a weapon on Gatlin, shooting and killing him before fleeing the scene. Because the shooting occurred during an attempted robbery, all three were charged with capital murder in Gatlin's death.

Stafford was the first to be tried. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Lambert was tried in March and will be sentenced June 2 alongside Amerson, according to Limestone County District Attorney Brian Jones.

"This was a big day for the Gatlin family," Jones said of Friday's verdict. "... I hope that the burden that this family has carried on its back since July of 2017 can be lifted, and the family can take comfort in the fact that justice has been served."

Jones thanked the jurors for their attention to detail and dedication to Limestone County, saying without their willingness to serve, "I cannot get these cases to trial and seek justice for the other victims who are waiting their turn."