Murder Conviction Upheld In 2020 Shooting At Crescent East Apartments

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals earlier this month affirmed the conviction of a Tuscaloosa man found guilty after a 2o20 shooting at Crescent East Apartments that killed one and injured another during a Fourth of July party.

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Deanta Antwon Lavender and another man were both initially charged with murder and attempted murder after police responded around 12 a.m. to a call of a shooting at the apartment complex, where two victims were found to have been injured.

Kevin Matthews, 28, died from his injuries, while the other man survived.

Lavender was found guilty in April 2023 on the two charges, along with discharging a firearm into an unoccupied vehicle, and was given two concurrent life sentences, along with a concurrent sentence of 10 years for the felony gun charge.

He is currently serving his sentence at the Fountain Correctional Center in Atmore.

Three witnesses at trial, including Lavender's brother, testified they saw him repeatedly shoot Matthews, in addition to shooting at another person who was hiding behind an unoccupied truck during the incident.

As part of the appeal, the state mentioned that two of the shots fired hit the unoccupied truck.

Lavender claimed in his request for acquittal that the state's evidence was not sufficient to sustain his convictions, going on to question the credibility of the three witnesses. This argument included pointing out that his brother, under cross-examination, admitted he was "drunk and high" at the time of the shooting.

Lavender also said there was "bad blood" between him and his brother, before insisting there is no physical evidence connecting him to the fatal shooting.

The appeals court ruled that Lavender's claims lacked merit and affirmed his convictions, but remanded the case to the trial court in Tuscaloosa County to correct a sentencing error regarding the gun conviction.

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