Walker County Murder Suspects Are Father and Teenage Son, Police Say
The suspects allegedly responsible for injuring two men and killing a third in a Walker County robbery last week are a father and his teenage son, police said Monday.
The Walker County Sheriff's Office hosted a press conference about the killing Monday afternoon and said they believe the suspects were trying to steal a car from the trio of victims early Thursday morning in the Quinton community of Walker County.
The attempted robbery turned into a triple shooting, which left 32-year-old Matthew Perrigin of Quinton, Alabama dead. Two other victims were transported to a Birmingham hospital, where one has been released and the other has had his life-threatening injuries stabilized, the sheriff's office said.
The shooting sparked a manhunt that went on all day Thursday and most of Friday, and police identified the suspects in the shooting as 36-year-old Corey Ryan Mahaffey and his 16-year-old son Kaison Ryan Mahaffey.
Both were captured by police in different locations after hours of negotiation with Sheriff Nick Marshall and his deputies. The teen was arrested in Empire, Alabama, and his father was captured in Hartselle.
"On behalf of the sheriff's office I want to really send my condolences out to the Perrigin family," Major Crimes investigator Carl Carpenter said. "[His parents] have gone through the horrible experience of having to bury a son, but especially having to bury a son over circumstances like this."
At the press conference, police said the younger Mahaffey was also wanted in Blount County, Alabama, on attempted murder charges after a shooting there weeks ago.
The sheriff's team said the younger suspect will be charged as an adult in both cases but did not say what specific charges will be filed against either suspect.