(MONTGOMERY)— Attorney General Luther Strange announced that the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday upheld the murder conviction of Aaron Briscoe. Briscoe, 28, of Valley, was convicted in the Chambers County Circuit Court in November of 2014 for the murder of Gerald Todd.Evidence presented at trial showed that on the evening of December 8, 2011, Briscoe discovered that his home had been burglarized. After obtaining a description of the suspect from his neighbors, Briscoe concluded that Gerald Todd was the person who had burglarized his home, and he reported the matter to the police. Later that evening, Briscoe traveled to various locations attempting to find Todd, and eventually encountered Todd walking down the street. A man who was giving Briscoe a ride, Kenneth Elder, testified that the two men appeared to be smiling and talking as they walked towards Elder’s vehicle. However, as they got closer, Elder saw Briscoe’s arm go up, heard a gunshot and saw Todd fall. Afterwards, Briscoe got back into the vehicle with Elder and the two men sped away. Elder testified that Briscoe was crying and hysterical and stated, ” I told these people I don’t play; don’t mess with me.” Todd later died as a result of the gunshot wound in his head.The case was prosecuted at trial by Chambers County District Attorney E. Paul Jones’ office. Briscoe was sentenced to 55 years in prison and subsequently sought to have his conviction reversed on appeal.The Attorney General’s Criminal Appeals Division handled the case during the appeals process, arguing for the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals to affirm the conviction. The Court did so in a decision issued on Friday, August 7.
Attorney General Strange commended Assistant Attorney General William Dill of the Attorney General’s Criminal Appeals Division for his successful work in this case.
