Mary Williams Faulk, 68, was found shot to death in her Semmes, Alabama home on February 16, 2017. Her body was discovered by her 11-year-old great-granddaughter. Investigators quickly identified three suspects: Faulk’s 13-year-old great-grandson, a 15-year-old friend of his, and 19-year-old Erick James Toomer. The three fled in Faulk’s vehicle; a deputy later spotted the car on a dirt road and, after a foot chase through woods, all three were arrested in Grand Bay.

Investigators say the killing was planned and motivated by behavioral issues the 13-year-old was experiencing, which Faulk had been trying to address. During interviews the 13-year-old reportedly confessed to pulling the trigger; Captain Paul Burch described the boy as showing no remorse, while the other two were said to have expressed some remorse. Alabama law kept the 13-year-old from being tried as an adult and limited his possible sentence to three years in juvenile detention if convicted. The Mobile County District Attorney sought to transfer the 15-year-old to adult court. Erick Toomer was charged as an accomplice after the fact, with bond set at $25,000.