DA: Over 250 homicide cases backlogged in Montgomery County

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Dozens of murder victims and their families are awaiting justice in Montgomery County as the judicial system faces an ongoing backlog in cases.

Nearly all jury trials were put on hold for months due to COVID-19. This has resulted in a major delay in prosecutions.

“It’s going to take us awhile to get out of the backlog,” said Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey.

According to Bailey, that backlog consists of 253 homicides cases that are pending in their office. Of the 253 cases in limbo, 130 are awaiting trial. The remaining 123 are awaiting a grand jury.

“We are really working on the backlog. We have several cases that are set for trial next week – murder cases,” Bailey said. “The judges have given those priority. So really that’s the only cases that are trying right now.”

Trials and grand juries resumed in-person in Montgomery County months ago. Since then, Bailey said numerous grand jury sessions have taken place and many murder cases have been tried over the last several months.

Judges prioritize the oldest homicide cases first, while putting an even higher priority on cases with defendants sitting in jail.

Bailey said there has always historically been a backlog in cases because of staffing shortages and delays in obtaining evidence, but COVID-19 only added to the problem.

“It’s been really tough on the victims’ families. They’ve been very patient. They understand that it takes a while,” Bailey said. “Obviously those that are awaiting trial, obviously it affects them too, but my thing is don’t shoot somebody and you won’t be in jail.”

Bailey did say they are on track with all other cases in the grand jury system.

“Aside from the homicide cases, we’ve pretty much eliminated the backlog in our grand jury system, so we’re pretty current right now. We’re within about three or four months of the crime happening,” Bailey said.

It is, however, the homicide cases he said will take longer to process.

“We’re going to work our way through it,” Bailey said with optimism.

Bailey says the 15th Judicial Circuit’s latest grand jury shows that out of the over the 300 cases presented, 35% were property cases, 6% were drug related and 59% of the cases were violent crime related. Bailey said murder, rape and robberies make up most of the crimes committed in Montgomery.

Bailey added that he is proud of Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert, who he says is putting a priority on these homicide cases by dedicating more people to MPD’s homicide unit.

In Montgomery there have been 41 murders so far this year, compared to the 46 this same time last year. According to MPD, 29 of the 41 homicides this year have been solved.

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