Fayette County Man Gets Life Sentence For Murder Of Laci Whitson

FAYETTE, AL — A Fayette County man will serve life in prison after entering a guilty plea in the case of a Fayette County woman whose body was found in a wooded area near his home.

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24th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Andy Hamlin announced that Michael Wade Tucker, 37, pleaded guilty to the murder of 24-year-old Laci Whitson at a hearing in Fayette County Circuit Court Friday morning.

Circuit Court Judge Sam Junkin handed down a life sentence following the plea agreement.

Hamlin said family members first reported Whitson missing on June 29, 2024, and the investigation later revealed that Tucker had picked her up from a location in Florence during the early morning hours of June 26 and taken her to his home on County Road 52 in northeast Fayette County.

Tucker’s residence and surrounding property was searched in June and it was determined that Whitson had been shot inside the home.

Hamlin said her remains were found concealed in a boat on the property, and her clothing and personal belongings were located inside the house.

“This was a horrific and senseless crime, and while nothing can ease the pain Laci’s loved ones continue to carry, I hope this plea brings them a measure of justice and peace,” Hamlin said. “I want to thank her family for their strength and patience as we’ve worked through this investigation and the court process. We continue to pray for them.”

Hamlin went on to praise the work of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Alabama State Bureau of Investigation, the District Attorney’s Office Criminal Investigations Division, Chief Assistant District Attorney Jack Nolen and others who assisted with the investigation.

“We’re incredibly grateful to the witnesses who came forward and the law enforcement agencies that worked this case so thoroughly,” he said. “Because of their efforts, we were able to build a solid case that the defendant had no choice but to plead guilty.”

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