Murder trial begins in Pensacola after 2 men shot in head, dumped in creek

An Alabama man is on trial for murder this week after he allegedly fatally shot one man, injured another and dumped their bodies in an Atmore creek in 2018.

Attorneys in Christopher Alan Stacey's case spoke to the jury during opening arguments of his trial Tuesday morning, saying what they believe the trial's evidence will demonstrate and how the jury should decide his fate.

"At the close of the evidence, the state will have proven the charges," said Assistant State Attorney Trey Myers during opening statements, "and you should find him guilty of both first-degree premeditated murder and attempted first-degree premeditated murder."

The trial is scheduled to run through Wednesday.

What are Christopher Alan Stacey's charges?

A grand jury indicted Stacey July 2018 with the first-degree premeditated murder of Dalton Davis and the attempted first-degree premeditated murder of Troy Boutwell.

Stacey allegedly shot both of them in the head while at a home in Walnut Hill.

Stacey indicted: Grand jury indicts Walnut Hill murder suspect accused of dumping bodies over Alabama line

What happened on June 2, 2018?

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.

Thomas, Logan Stacey, and Logan Stacey's girlfriend, Alexis Shiffner Cain, were at the home when Boutwell and Davis arrived.

The circumstances of what happened inside the living room are up for debate and will be decided by the jury, but Myers said Boutwell, Davis, Shiffner Cain and Thomas all stayed in the living room doing methamphetamine while Christopher and Logan Stacey stayed in a back bedroom.

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

"In Christopher Stacey's statement, he says he shot Dalton Davis first because Dalton had a bat and hit the coffee table," Myers added.

Family charged: Three charged in Walnut Hill murder and attempted murder

After the shooting, Christopher and Logan Stacey allegedly loaded the bodies into the truck and drove to a creek in Atmore, Alabaman, where Logan then allegedly drove the truck into the creek. Boutwell survived being shot, but later died due to problems unrelated to the alleged crime.

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.

What does Christopher Stacey's attorney say happened?

Christopher Stacey's attorney, Jason Cromey, painted a different picture of a father trying to help his family out of drug addiction. Logan Stacey, Thomas and Shiffner Cain were addicted to methamphetamine, according to Cromey, and his client was trying to get the family to Texas where they could leave behind a life of drug use.

According to Cromey, Boutwell and Davis brought methamphetamine to the Walnut Hill home and began using the drug with Thomas and Shiffner Cain, which is when Cromey says the alleged victims began threatening the family.

"Troy (Boutwell) started to yell at Alexis. Next thing he knows, he 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."

Then, according to Cromey, Christopher Stacey walked to the living room with a small gun in his pocket which he allegedly takes everywhere and kept it in his pocket. Once he walked into the room, Davis allegedly attacked.

"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 said. "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."

After the shooting, Cromey said Christopher Stacey "made a mistake" and decided to dump the bodies after "all hell broke loose," but said that doesn't mean his client is guilty of a crime.

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

Christopher Stacey's murder charge is a capital felony and, if convicted, he would face a minimum life sentence. He also faces another life sentence for his attempted murder charge.

The Office of the State Attorney charged Logan Stacey, Shiffner Cain and Thomas with accessory after the fact of a capital felony and accessory after the fact of a first-degree felony. If convicted on both charges, they all face up to 45 years in prison.

All of them have a court date scheduled for Dec. 14.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Christopher Stacey on trial in Dalton Davis, Troy Boutwell shootings