Lester Charles Wilson, 55, known as Tulu, was found with a single gunshot wound to the head on the evening of Saturday, October 2, 2021, near the 700 block of Billingsley Road in Sylacauga, Alabama. He was taken to the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital and remained on life support until he died on Friday, October 8, 2021. His body was sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for autopsy.

Investigators from the Talladega County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force and the Sylacauga Police Department identified and arrested 51-year-old Orethaniel Dell Swain in connection with the shooting. After Wilson’s death, Swain was charged with manslaughter, a Class B felony; bond was set at $15,000. If convicted, the charge carries a potential sentence of two to twenty years and up to a $30,000 fine.

Wilson was a graduate of B.B. Comer Memorial High School, a father and grandfather, and remembered for drawing, building and helping others. A graveside service was held October 24, 2021, at New Hope Baptist Church Cemetery in Sylacauga.

If anyone has information about what happened on October 2, 2021, near Billingsley Road, please come forward.