A Jefferson County judge is denying culpability for approving a plea deal that allowed the release of a suspect recently charged in the Five Points South shooting and 10 other cases.
Damien Laron McDaniel, 22, of Forestdale, is currently behind bars for his alleged role in the September 21 shooting in front of Hush Lounge in Birmingham's Five Points South community that left four dead and 17 injured.
Court documents show that, based on McDaniel’s criminal history, he would have been in jail at the time of the shooting were it not for Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge David Carpenter approving a plea agreement a year prior.
After receiving backlash online, Judge Carpenter attacked 1819 News’ reporting on the matter as “false information,” instead blaming the local district attorney.
Carpenter argued that McDaniel's deal that allowed his early release was with the DA and not the court. However, according to the Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure, a judge has the ultimate authority to accept or reject any plea agreement.
Carpenter, who regularly posts online about far-left issues and once called himself “liberal trash,” has a history of letting violent suspects back on the streets. He also granted a Bessemer inmate bond for reckless murder in the death of a female minor. That inmate, Raukeem Cunningham, of Lipscomb, was later charged with shooting three people at a gas station over Labor Day weekend.
Carpenter’s response to pushback online has been to double down on his partisan posting.
Carpenter won his re-election bid during the November 5 general election running unopposed as a Democrat.
To connect with the story's author or comment, email daniel.taylor@1819news.com or find him on X and Facebook.
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