Winfield teen faces murder charges in Tuscaloosa

By Luke Brantley
Staff writer

TUSCALOOSA — Jackson Luke Overton, 18, of Winfield, is facing murder charges after he was arrested on Saturday, July 27.
According to a press release from Captain Jack Kennedy of the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crimes unit, calls came in a little after 9 that night of a shooting in the parking lot of Embassy Suites in downtown Tuscaloosa on University Boulevard.
Kennedy’s statement claims Overton and Howell Booth Holland, 21, of Fayette, appeared to be friends, but a verbal altercation led to Overton retrieving a firearm from his vehicle and shooting Holland once, killing him.
Kennedy said in his statement that numerous witnesses were located and interviewed, and Overton was charged with murder and “committed to jail with no bond pursuant to Aniah’s Law.”
Overton was taken to Tuscaloosa County Jail.
According to court documents filed on Aug. 2, Overton is being charged with murder, which is a Class A felony. If convicted, he could be facing between 20-99 years or even a life sentence.
In the state’s order following a pretrial detention hearing, the state alleges Holland and Overton were friends who traveled together to Tuscaloosa in Overton’s truck.
The state alleges Overton and Holland had visited a bar earlier that night, and that Overton used a fake I.D. to enter. A juvenile was present, who the state says was waiting in the truck.
Before entering the bar, the state says Overton parked his truck at the hotel and eventually returned later that night.
According to Tuscaloosa Sheriff’s Deputy Jeffrey Miller, who investigated the scene with the Violent Crimes Unit, witnesses he interviewed observed Overton was upset with his mother over an issue related to money.
Miller testified witnesses saw Overton begin pointing a gun at Holland at point-blank-range and continued to point it at Holland even as he backed away.
Miller also testified that, after the shooting, witnesses saw Overton place the shotgun on Holland’s chest before calling 9-1-1.
Miller played a recording of a 9-1-1 call during the hearing, in which Overton allegedly claims that Holland had inflicted the wound on himself and that he was only calling so he would not be “framed,” since the firearm was his.
Miller testified he was suspicious of the circumstances of the wound and the way the weapon was left on the deceased victim.
After the witness testimony and the testimony of investigators, the District Court of Tuscaloosa County ruled Overton would be charged with murder and held without bond under Aniah’s Law as he awaits trial.
Other court documents filed included character references from some of Overton’s friends, associates and employers, as well as subpoenas for public surveillance camera evidence from both the prosecution and the defense.