Judge moves 'Big John' capital murder trial to Macon County
A high-profile capital murder case in Lowndes County will be tried in Macon County.
William Chase Johnson faces capital murder charges in the November 2019 shooting death of Lowndes County Sheriff “Big John” Williams. Retired Escambia County Circuit Judge Bert Rice granted defense attorneys’ change of venue request in a hearing in Hayneville last week. On Monday, Rice ordered the trial to be moved to Macon County.
A trial date has not been set. Rice said in last week’s hearing that he will work with court officials in whatever county the trial is moved to in order to come up with a schedule that best fits the court calendar of that county.
The defense successfully argued that Johnson could not get a fair trial in Lowndes County, given the nature of the case, media attention, small population in Lowndes County from which to draw a jury pool and Williams being held in such high regard in his home county.
The courthouse in Hayneville was named in the slain lawman’s honor, and the crime scene is right across the street and can be seen from the courtroom. During the recent hearing, Rice listed those factors as being key in his decision in changing venue.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys could not be reached for comment because there is a gag order in the case that bars participants from commenting outside court proceedings and court document filings.
Rice said he wanted to keep the trial in the Black Belt to match population and racial and economic demographics of Lowndes County as closely as possible. Lowndes County has a population of about 10,000, according to the 2021 census. Macon County is almost twice as large, with a population of about 19,000, census figures show.
But that does give a larger jury pool from which to select jurors.
Rice was appointed by the Alabama Supreme Court to preside in the case, after local judges recused themselves.
Johnson, 21, has been held in the Elmore County Jail, under no bond, since his arrest the night of the shooting. That is standard in a capital case.
Williams, 62, was killed the night of Nov. 23, 2019, while trying to disperse a large crowd in the parking lot of the QV convenience store in Hayneville.
Johnson has entered a plea of not guilty due to mental disease or defect. The defense has not elaborated on what mental disease of defect Johnson may have.
Capital murder is the most severe charge the state can file. The only sentencing options in the event of a conviction are life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. The defense has filed a motion seeking that the death penalty be removed from consideration. Rice has not ruled on that request, records reflect.
Williams spent more than 40 years serving his community. He started out as a reserve deputy in 1978 under then-Sheriff John Hulett before spending three years with the Hayneville Police Department, then going back to the sheriff’s office as a “road deputy.” He worked his way up to chief deputy and was elected sheriff in 2010.
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Judge moves 'Big John' capital murder trial to Macon County
