‘He hopped down and started shooting,’ testimony continues in 2020 Russell County murder trial

RUSSELL COUNTY, Ala. (WRBL)— Day two of testimony in the murder trial of a man accused of shooting another in an unlicensed Phenix City nightclub continued Wednesday.

Jaquandre Bowen is accused of fatally shooting Keon Simmons in 2020.

The morning began before jurors came in; Montgomery Criminal Defense Attorney Jennifer Holton requested a mistrial. She alleged former District Attorney Kenny Davis of speaking directly to jurors during testimony Tuesday.

The statement Holton referred to stems from a question Davis asked a witness, Cassandra Williams, who was in the room when Simmons was shot. Phrasing a rhetorical question to Williams, Davis asked, “If I were being shot at, I’d duck too, wouldn’t you?” Holton alleged Davis leaned into the jury box when asking the question.

Davis responded citing his 50 years of law experience saying not once has he ever directly spoken to jurors during testimony. He told Judge Walter Gray, “I take offense to being accused of that by this lawyer.”

Judge Gray denied the motion.

Jurors were brought in shortly after and testimony resumed with Williams on the stand. Williams testified again sometime after the shooting she called Bowen and said, “Dang, you could have hit me.” Here is her statement from the stand Wednesday.

Kenny Davis: “What was Mr. Bowen’s response?”

Cassandra Williams: “That he didn’t do it.”

In cross-examination, Williams told Holton she never saw who the shooter was that night.

The state’s next witness testified Bowen was the shooter. Bowen’s cousin, Tyquandre Davis, took the stand Wednesday morning. Here’s how Davis described the shooting:

Tyquandre Davis: “They was playing music, 10 minutes later he hopped down and started shooting.”

Kenny Davis: “Who?”

Tyquandre Davis: “[Ja]quan[dre].”

Kenny Davis: “What happened to Mr. Simmons?”

Tyquandre Davis: “Fell backwards.”

In cross-examination, Davis testified the same story to Holton.