DOTHAN, Ala. (WDNews) – The capital murder trial of Benjamin Adam Nowell is underway this week in Houston County Circuit Court before Judge Butch Binford.
Nowell, who was arrested on July 7, 2022, is charged in the shooting death of 29-year-old Brittany Phillips, a mother of three. If convicted, he could face the death penalty or life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Prosecutors allege that Nowell pursued Phillips in a vehicle, blocked her in and fatally shot her in the head while she sat inside her car. Phillips had reportedly been giving someone a ride home at the time. Authorities said Nowell had a history of stalking her.
The shooting prompted a large manhunt involving Houston County sheriff’s deputies and a K-9 tracking unit from the Jackson County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office. Nowell was captured later that same day and has remained in the Houston County Jail since his arrest. The lead investigator on the case was Houston County Sheriff’s Investigator Joshua Harper.
Court records show that 69 people have been subpoenaed to testify during the trial.
Phillips’ death left her three children without a mother. Since her killing, the children’s father, Brian Phillips — who was divorced from her at the time — has also died, leaving the children without either parent.
