Man Who Killed Tuscaloosa Police Officer Set for Trial After Appeals Fail

The capital murder trial of the man accused of fatally shooting a Tuscaloosa Police investigator more than six years ago may finally begin early next year after two appeals courts denied petitions to dismiss the case on grounds of self-defense.

As the Thread previously reported earlier this year, former attorneys for Luther Bernard Watkins argued that he was immune from prosecution for capital murder because he was defending himself when he shot and killed TPD Investigator Dornell Cousette.

Watkins, now 26 years old, has been held in the Tuscaloosa County Jail without bond since the killing took place in September 2019, when he was 19.

In a hearing in May, Watkins' team laid out the series of events that led to the gunfight between the two men in West Tuscaloosa more than six years ago.

They maintain that Cousette was disobeying orders when he moved to arrest Watkins outside a house on the West End - Cousette's supervisors reportedly had told him no backup was available, and he should not engage Watkins while he was alone and off-duty.

The defense team also shared evidence and testimony that the TPD Investigator fired the first shot of the gunfight, striking Watkins once in the back as he was running inside the house of the porch where he was spotted.

Watkins allegedly fired a single shot, which struck Cousette in the head as he stood over the then 19-year-old suspect and shot him a second time, hitting him in the chest.

"The only shot that Watkins fired was done so with the reasonable expectation that Officer Cousette was about to end his life," the attorneys wrote in their brief. "As such, the defense has met their burden of reasonable satisfaction and proven by a preponderance of the evidence that Luther Watkins is entitled to immunity from prosecution under the Stand Your Ground Statute."

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Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge Brad Almond disagreed and ruled against Watkins, saying that the young man was likely committing the crime of attempting to elude or resisting arrest, not merely retreating from Cousette when the shooting started.

"The court finds that, given the totality of the evidence at the hearing and as guided by the evolution of the Alabama self-defense statute, the Defendant has failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that he was engaged in lawful conduct based on a stand-your-ground self-defense argument," Almond wrote. "The Defendant's conduct can reasonably be described to fit one or either of the offenses of Attempting to Elude or Resisting Arrest - which is unlawful activity - thus not entitling him to immunity from prosecution."

Watkins' defense team, then led by attorney Gary Blume, appealed Almond's decision to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, which also ruled against Watkins in early August.

Things got even more complicated for Watkins when his entire defense team withdrew later the same month over irreconcilable differences with the capital murder suspect.

Court records indicate Watkins is now represented by attorneys William Brower, Justin Forrester, Christopher Daniel, and Hunter Brown.

His self-defense appeal was sent up to the Alabama Supreme Court, which denied the petition last Wednesday, October 8th. With no appeals left available, the case has finally been docketed for a jury trial.

On Friday, October 10th, Judge Brad Almond issued an order setting the case for trial during the week of February 2nd or 9th, 2026.

A pretrial conference will be held with attorneys from both sides of the case in late January.

Although Watkins was not granted pre-trial immunity on self-defense grounds, his team can still pursue the justification of self-defense during the jury trial.

If convicted of capital murder, Watkins would be sentenced to either state execution or life in prison without the possibility of parole.

For more coverage of the case and other crime and courts stories in West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.