House Bill 20 Introduced in Alabama to Address Capital Murder Charges

State Representative Matt Simpson from Daphne has officially introduced House Bill 20, during a press conference in Fairhope featuring local law enforcement leaders. He shared this announcement on Facebook, mentioning key figures like Sheriff Hos Mack and Mobile District Attorney Keith Blackwood.

Simpson outlined that the bill aims to enhance the capacity of law enforcement in handling public shootings and expanding the definition of capital murder. The proposal seeks to give prosecutors more tools when dealing with situations that put multiple lives at risk. Currently, existing laws limit the ability to charge capital murder if only fatalities occur, excluding cases where multiple people are injured.

The initiative to create this bill comes in light of notable incidents of gun violence in Alabama. For instance, a tragic event on June 1, 2025, involved a shooting at a children’s dance recital at the Senger Theatre, where a man was shot in front of many attendees, including children. The suspect, Marcus Sanders, was charged with capital murder due partly to the circumstances surrounding the event.

Another significant incident was the Great Ve Day shooting in 2022, which resulted in one death and nine injuries. Law enforcement also referenced several other cases during the conference, including a shooting at Sage Park and the May Day shooting in 2024, which resulted in multiple casualties.

House Bill 20 will introduce a new aggravating factor to Alabama’s capital murder laws, expanding the criteria that already includes murders committed during robberies or attacks on public officials. Interestingly, initial drafts of the bill contained language about “public places,” but that was later removed to avoid potential complications in defining such spaces.