Escambia jury convicts Alabama man of murdering one, shooting another, dumping them in creek

Even though the defense argued self-defense, and the state argued a premeditated killing, an Escambia County jury split the difference Wednesday night and found an Alabama man accused of shooting two men and dumping them in a creek guilty of second-degree murder.

Christopher Alan Stacey, 42, was initially indicted with the first-degree premeditated murder of Dalton Davis and the attempted first-degree premeditated murder of Troy Boutwell in 2018, but the jury found him guilty of the lesser included offenses of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder.

Prosecutors said Stacey shot the men at a Walnut Hill home, then loaded them into a vehicle and dumped them into an Atmore, Alabama, creek. Davis was killed in the shooting, but Boutwell survived, though he later died from an unrelated cause.

The jury's verdict means Stacey avoids the mandatory minimum life in prison sentence, but he does still face life in prison as punishment for his second-degree murder charge.

On June 2, 2018, Davis and Boutwell arrived at the 5400-block of Highway 164 in Walnut Hill, the home of Stacey's ex-wife Jessica Thomas and Stacey's son, Christopher James Logan Stacey, known as Logan Stacey. Boutwell and Davis reportedly began using methamphetamine with Thomas and Alexis Shiffner Cain, Logan Stacey's girlfriend.

"A short time later, Christopher Stacey and his son Logan come out of the bedroom, (and) they're both armed," Assistant State Attorney Trey Myers told the jury. "Christopher Stacey shoots them both (Boutwell and Davis) as they get up off the couch."

Myers argued to the jury that Stacey's actions were premeditated.

However, Stacey's lawyer Jason Cromey argued that Boutwell and Davis tried to attack his client when he entered the living room after hearing the two threaten Shiffner Cain.

"Troy (Boutwell) started to yell at Alexis. Next thing he knows, (Christopher Stacey) hears Troy threatening to kill (Christopher Stacey's) mother, Joy," Cromey told the jury. "He hears Troy, high on meth, threatening to rape his 18 to 24-month-old kids.

"When he comes into the room, Dalton Davis, high on meth, he turns around, sees Chris, grabs a baseball bat and takes a swing," Cromey added. "As he's doing that, Troy Boutwell is getting up with something in his hand, and he's coming toward Chris, (so) Chris pulls out that little pocket pistol and fired it three times."

Stacey heads to trial: Murder trial begins in Pensacola after 2 men shot in head, dumped in creek

Despite the state and defense disagreeing on what happened in the Walnut Hill home living room, neither disagreed about what Stacey and his son Logan did after Boutwell and Davis were shot.

After the shooting, Christopher and Logan Stacey allegedly loaded the bodies into the truck and drove to a creek in Atmore. Logan then allegedly drove the truck into the creek.

Later, a motorist spotted the truck partially submerged in the creek and found Davis deceased in the truck bed and Boutwell trying to flag down the motorist from the roadside.

When law enforcement arrived to the Walnut Hill home, they discovered a couch engulfed in flames in the backyard — the same couch Boutwell and Davis were sitting on before the shooting. Deputies quickly extinguished the fire to preserve evidence and took Thomas, the Staceys and Shiffner Cain into custody.

Stacey's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 11, 2024.

Who is involved in the case and what are their charges stemming from the incident?

Logan Stacey is charged with accessory after the fact of a capital felony and accessory after the fact of a first-degree felony for his alleged role in the murder and attempted murder.

Shiffner Cain and Stacey's ex-wife, Jessica Thomas, were also charged as an accessory after the fact for both of Christopher Stacey's crimes.

All three of the remaining suspects have a court date scheduled for Dec. 14, 2023.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Jury convicts Alabama man of murdering Dalton Davis, Troy Boutwell