Jury returns not guilty verdict in Dothan murder case

DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) - Demingus Humphrey walked out of a Houston County courtroom on Monday free for the first time in two years.

Moments earlier, a Houston County jury found him not guilty of Capital Murder, charges related to the shooting of 25-year-old Cortez Hill.

While prosecting and defense attorneys differed on several issues, both sides agreed that waffling statements from one witness impacted this case more than anything else.

“We had an eyewitness who identified…our client, but there were discrepancies,” said defense attorney Clay Wadsworth of her statements.

That woman’s credibility came into question when she changed her account several times, making her trial testimony less than stellar.

In August 2020, a crowd of over 100 gathered on a downtown Dothan vacant lot late one night. (In the video story we erroneously reported the shooting date as April).

Some had migrated from a nearby nightclub, perhaps aggravated about COVID restrictions.

Saturday night turned into Sunday and that is when the melee occurred, shots rang out, and Hill died from multiple wounds.

Police had Humphrey, 28, on their radar early on and traveled to Troy where he worked and had gone to school.

Officers searched his apartment and found evidence they insist tied him to the crime scene.

But Wadsworth and co-counsel Aimee Cobb believe others would have been suspected had Dothan police conducted a thorough investigation.

“This is a big victory. We believed in our client who has waited over two years to get to today and we’re very thankful that the jury saw what we saw,” Cobb told WTVY News 4.

Prosecuting attorneys Pat Jones and Robert Black expressed disappointment.

“I think that witness made the difference,” said Jones, the 20th Circuit district attorney.

Had Humphrey been convicted he would have received life without parole.

Subscribe to our News 4 newsletter and receive the latest local news and weather straight to your email every morning. Get instant notifications on top stories from News 4 by downloading our mobile apps.

Copyright 2022 WTVY. All rights reserved.