Alabama Woman Implicated with Other Family Members in Multiple Murders

Posted on September 9, 2009 by Steven Eversole

A local mother has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder in the shooting of another woman. As an Alabama criminal defense lawyer, my firm has represented clients in situations similar to 42-year-old Yolanda Seay, who was arrested in mid-August at her home in Birmingham. According to news reports, Seay was taken to county jail after a judge set her bond at $120,000. Conspiracy and solicitation are serious charges that require a skilled legal professional well versed in Alabama criminal law and knowledge of the Alabama criminal appeals process.

This woman’s situation is very complicated because Seay has been linked to crimes allegedly committed by other family members over the years. Seay’s sons, Cortez, Martez and Demarius have been charged or convicted at various times with separate slayings and attempted murder. News reports indicate that only recently did police connect Yolanda Seay with some of the crimes committed by her sons.

Investigators reportedly believe that Yolanda Seay played an active role in the planning and solicitation of the shooting of Kandi Hawkins, a witness against two of her sons in separate cases. Hawkins was shot in June and apparently left for dead. She reportedly survived the shooting, however injuries suffered during that incident left her a quadriplegic and she is currently being cared for at an undisclosed location.

Seay’s first-born, 25-year-old Martez, has been charged with capital murder in the May execution-style slaying of Lonnie Vaughn, a Vestavia Hills father of two who was found in northeast Jefferson County, nude and shot multiple times. Hawkins also is charged with capital murder in that case. Martez Seay has also been charged with solicitation for murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the shooting of Hawkins, who reportedly was his girlfriend.

The youngest Seay son, Demarius, is awaiting trial for capital murder in the April 2008 shooting death of a 17-year-old Parker High School student. Demarius is also charged with attempted murder in the shooting of Hawkins.

According to news reports, Yolanda Seay’s middle child, Cortez, pleaded guilty and was sentence to life in prison for the 2004 murder of a 50-year-old man at a drug house. Cortez Seay was convicted of killing the man over a money dispute.


Mom burdened when three sons implicated in Birmingham murders is now charged too, AL.com, August 17, 2009

 

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Montgomery, AL, Neighborhood Argument Results in Shooting of Teenager

Posted on August 5, 2009 by Steven Eversole

As an Alabama criminal lawyer practicing in Birmingham, I have represented numerous clients accused of various crimes, including assault, manslaughter, theft, criminal sexual behavior, and drug possession and sales. Many of these people believed themselves to be innocent of the charges, but the authorities and the prosecution could not accept their explanation. Since there are always two sides to every story, I have dedicated myself to the aggressive defense of people like the Montgomery, AL, woman who recently was arrested for first degree assault with a hand gun.

It apparently all started in the early evening as a dispute between some neighbors regarding a parking situation at one of the houses on Courtland Street in Montgomery. According to police reports, a 51-year-old woman was looking to back her car out of a shared driveway, but found that her car was blocked in by another vehicle. News reports say that as the argument escalated, Annie Mae Smith allegedly pulled out a gun and began to wave it in the air. Sadly, during her display, a 16-year-old who was also involved in the dispute was accidentally shot, however not fatally.

When police arrived, the boy’s mother told the officers that her son had stepped between the two women when the gun went off. Smith claimed that the gun discharged as she was raising it into the air and that she had no intention to shoot the boy. The teenager was apparently hit in the back of the neck -- X-rays showed that the bullet exited through the left side of his jaw. He lost three teeth and may require surgery to repair his jaw, but fortunately he was not killed.

This is a perfect example of how a simple argument can ratchet up to an explosive point. While Smith says that she only meant to fire the gun into the air, Montgomery police charged her with 1st degree assault. She posted bond the very next day.

Smith’s neighbors say that the woman isn't the kind of person who would shoot someone. In fact, a number of them told reporters that Smith is a wonderful person who goes to work everyday and minds her own business. The other side of the story is bound to come out in court. Already there is some discussion that the woman may have felt cornered and physically in danger, which may explain her actions -- all the more reason to choose a qualified and experienced criminal lawyer for a case such as this.

 

Driveway dispute turns violent, WSFA.com, July 17, 2009

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