Tallapoosa Circuit Judge Steve Perryman ordered criminal term dates for the six suspects charged in the April 15, 2023, Sweet 16 party shooting in Dadeville.
Four people were killed and 25 others injured in the shooting.
The suspects, Willie Brown, Jr., 21, of Auburn; Wilson Hill, 22, of Notasulga; Johnny Brown, 22, of Tuskegee; and Tyreese McCullough, 19, of Notasulga, Sherman Peters III, 17, of Tuskegee; Travis McCullough, 18, of Tuskegee, are expected to go on trial this summer.
They will be arraigned on April 10, followed by youthful offender status hearings and other hearings on May 5.
Their plea dates were set for May 6. Barring plea deals, the trial is expected to begin in the first week of June.
The four killed were Shaunkivia Nicole Smith, 17, of Dadeville, Marsiah Emmanuel Collins, 19, of Opelika, Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23, of Dadeville, and Philstavious Dowdell, 18, of Camp Hill.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency investigated the shooting. Detectives believe during the party, a group of kids believed to have guns were asked to leave but refused. Although the exact sequence of events is unclear, a disagreement ensued and ended in a shooting.
Defense attorneys previously claimed that text messages from the victims’ phones would prove the suspects were acting in self-defense.
A first responder dispatched to the "mass casualty event," Alicia Morgan, told 1819 News the scene was one of the worst things she had ever experienced.
"The magnitude was, I would say, almost too much to comprehend," she said just days after the shooting. "I'm going to tell you that probably for about 20 seconds, I felt totally helpless myself."
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