Adams claims self-defense in Brantley murder trial

Opening arguments began Tuesday morning in the trial of Kenneth Wayne Adams for the murder of William Allen Brantley on March 28, 2019.

Adams is charged with murder in the shooting death of Brantley on Rooker Lane in Elkmont stemming from a property dispute between the two men. Adams does not deny shooting Brantley but claims he did so in self defense. Both men were found to be in possession of a firearm.

The all male jury heard from Limestone County coroner Mike West and Dr. Valerie Green, forensic pathologist with the Alabama Department of Forensic Science, before taking a break for lunch Tuesday afternoon.

Dr. Green told the jury that Brantley had received four gunshot wounds: one to the right chest, two in the left arm, and one in the lower back. One of the gunshots to the left arm enter his chest piercing his aorta.

Tuesday afternoon, jurors heard the audio from five calls made to E-911 immediately following the shooting. One call was from the victim’s son Christopher Brantley.

“He won’t let us go check on my father,” he told the 911 operator regarding Adams. “He wants him to [expletive] die.”

In Adams’ call to E-911, he can be heard repeatedly yelling at the victim’s family as they attempt to approach him.

“You better back up! You better back up!” Adams yelled at the victim’s family. “I’m going to shoot you!”

Adams said in the call that Brantley had approached him and put a gun in his face. Adams responded by shooting Brantley. He told the operator that he was fearful of family approaching Brantley due to him having a gun.

LCSO Sgt. Terry Johnson was the first officer on scene after the shooting. He had already been to Rooker Lane just prior to the altercation in response to a call to dispatch. Earlier, Johnson had spoke to the Brantleys and a neighbor who were angry about damage to water meters by logging trucks from Adams’ property.

When he arrived back on Rooker Lane, Brantley was lying face down in the road suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Johnson testified that he took a firearm from Adams, who was still on scene. Johnson also found an empty holster on the body of Brantley and a firearm near his foot.

The prosecution then played the body cam footage from Sgt. Johnson as he arrived on scene after the shooting. Afterwards, Circuit Court Judge Chadwick Wise recessed until Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.