​Appeals Court Reverses Tuscaloosa Man’s Reckless Manslaughter Conviction

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals has overturned the reckless manslaughter conviction of Corey Lee Walton, ruling that the Tuscaloosa Circuit Court erred by allowing evidence of Walton’s prior youthful-offender adjudications to be presented at trial.

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In an opinion released Nov. 7, the appellate court reversed and remanded Walton’s case for further proceedings, following a directive from the Alabama Supreme Court that found the lower court had “acted outside its discretion” in admitting details of Walton’s prior crimes.

Walton was convicted in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The Court of Criminal Appeals initially upheld that conviction in 2024, but the Alabama Supreme Court later granted Walton’s petition for a writ of certiorari and sent the case back for reconsideration.

Walton was convicted of reckless manslaughter after he allegedly shot and killed 19-year-old Christopher Champion in 2017 during a brawl at a party on Homeland Lane in Cottondale.

Another man was also shot in the arm during the shooting and survived his injuries.

Court documents obtained by Patch show evidence at trial suggested that a group of people at the party pursued Walton and his friend, before surrounding them with the apparent intent to harm them.

Walton then pulled a gun and, as he was being tackled, fired and shot Champion — an act he has claimed was done in self-defense under the state's "Stand Your Ground" law.

Prosecutors argued at trial that Walton pulled a gun twice at the party and refused to leave when asked. Circuit Court Judge Brad Almond also allowed Walton's prior youthful-offender adjudication to block him from claiming immunity under the "Stand Your Ground" Law.

Walton, who was 21 at the time of the fatal shooting, is currently serving his sentence at the Staton Correctional Facility in Elmore County and previously had a minimum released date of Feb. 20, 2041.

The Supreme Court concluded Walton’s youthful-offender cases served only to prejudice the jury and had no relevance to the facts being considered. The justices ruled that the error was not harmless and that it “probably injuriously affected” Walton’s substantial rights.

In its new opinion, authored by Appeals Court Judge Rich Anderson, the Court of Criminal Appeals said it was bound by the Supreme Court’s findings and that a harmless-error analysis could not be applied.

As a result, the appellate court reversed the Tuscaloosa Circuit Court’s judgment and remanded the case for additional proceedings consistent with the higher court’s ruling.

Presiding Judge Mary Windom and judges J. Elizabeth Kellum, J. William Cole and Richard Minor concurred.

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