A man accused of fatally shooting another man during an argument Monday is now facing a capital murder charge due to a new law never before applied in Limestone County, according to District Attorney Brian Jones.

The state statute was added in 2018 to expand the definition of capital murder to include the murder of a parent or legal guardian in front of that person’s child, so long as the child is under age 14 at the time of the crime.

Travis Lee Stanley, 41, of Athens, was initially charged Monday with murder in the fatal shooting of 33-year-old Joey Sutton. Stanley is accused of shooting Sutton at least twice during an argument between the men.

Jones said Wednesday “as the investigation went on, it became very clear how close the victim’s minor child was to the incident.”

Jones declined to say if there were additional children present.

He said an argument between the men preceded the shooting.

Deputy Stephen Young, public information officer for the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office, said both men lived on Mill Valley Drive, east of Athens. The argument started over Sutton’s 12-year-old son using a bicycle on the neighborhood street and ended with the shooting in Stanley’s front yard. Initially, an official said the boy was riding a scooter. Young clarified Wednesday it was a bike.

Stanley remained in the Limestone County Jail as of Wednesday. Bail has not been set, though Jones said a hearing to determine bail will be held soon. Typically, a person charged with capital murder is denied bail.

The case will be presented to a Limestone County grand jury. If convicted of capital murder, Stanley could be sentenced to death or life imprisonment without the chance of parole.

Hollie’s Law

The new statute is called “Hollie’s Law,” named for Hollie Newbury, a woman murdered by her estranged husband, Christopher Rich, in 2009 in Lauderdale County. According to our news partners at WAFF-48, Newbury was meeting Rich as part of the custody arrangement for their two children when they began arguing.

Rich shot Newbury in front of the children, then drove the children to the Lauderdale County Courthouse, where he was later arrested. A Lauderdale County grand jury indicted Rich on a charge of capital murder, which he later pleaded guilty to in August 2011. 

Rich was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

In the years since, Newbury’s family has pushed for a law that would strengthen punishment for domestic violence and murder when the victim’s children are present. In 2018, Hollie’s Law was approved by state legislators and signed by Gov. Kay Ivey.