Grim details surround ‘violent’ and ‘bloody’ Alabama homicide

MOBILE, Ala. ( WKRG ) — Three suspects stood side-by-side in court in connection to a “blunt force” homicide in Mobile.

Carlos Hollis, Charles Pittman, and Jessica Allen have been accused in the death of 52-year-old Rodney Tucker.

Kenyada Taylor, a Mobile police detective, testified Mobile police responded to a house on McRae Avenue at 7:56 a.m. Jan. 24. Upon arrival, Taylor said she noticed a large amount of blood and Tucker’s dead body.

Tucker was pronounced dead at 8:36 a.m.

According to an autopsy report, Tucker’s death was ruled a homicide with blunt force trauma listed as a contributing factor.

While prosecutors said the suspects beat Tucker to death, Hollis’ attorney, Stewart Hanley, argued the suspects were protecting themselves from a hostile situation.

“I think all of the facts that we heard today point [Hollis], in every way, acting in self-defense,” Hanley said.

Before the homicide, Allen allegedly witnessed Tucker assaulting his girlfriend. Tucker’s girlfriend managed to get away, ran down the street and screamed for help.

Moments later, Tucker was allegedly confronted by the three defendants about what Allen had seen. That’s when Tucker allegedly wielded a machete towards the three defendants and threatened them.

“[Hollis] defended himself and defended the other people in that home,” Hanley said.

Hollis continued to allegedly attack Tucker from behind, and the two started fighting.

In an interview with investigators, Pittman allegedly admitted he disarmed Tucker of the machete and stabbed him in the buttocks with it during the fight. Police have not found the machete.

The alleged stab wound was not listed on Tucker’s autopsy as a contributing factor to his death.

“I testified to a machete. … I did not testify to a stab wound,” Taylor said when asked about the stab wound by defense attorneys. “I’m not a doctor. You’ll have to ask a doctor.”

While self-defense remained from and center of Hanley’s cross-examination, Taylor quoted Allen as saying to a friend “We were involved in a domestic violence murder.”

Testimony revealed all of them, including the victim, had been using drugs the night before. A toxicology report is in progress to determine if drugs could have been another contributing factor to Tucker’s death.

The judge granted Hollis and Pittman $200,000 bonds. Allen’s bond was lowered to $100,000.

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