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MADISON COUNTY, Ala. – Circuit Judge Ruth Ann Hall has sentenced Lionel Francis to death in the capital murder case of his 20-month-old daughter. This is the first time someone has been sentenced to death in Madison County in more than a decade.
Francis is escorted back to jail. His attorney filed a motion to withdraw from the case and a notice of appeal was entered for Francis. @whnt pic.twitter.com/4Xs3KYkWEj
— Kelley Smith WHNT (@KelleySmithWHNT) July 25, 2019
Lionel Francis was escorted to the courtroom from the Madison County Jail. It’s where he has been sitting since May 2016 after he shot his 20-month-old daughter Alexandria Francis in the head. The incident occurred at the family’s home on Lockwood Court. According to prosecutors, he committed the crime after a mild argument with the child’s mother about money.


“I came in here expecting her not to override the jury’s recommendation of death and that’s exactly what happened,” said Bruce Gardner, defense attorney.
Even so, Gardner asked the judge for life without parole since the jury’s recommendation was not unanimous. “We think at some point in the future, and maybe it’s this case, that the jury is going to be required to be unanimous in recommending a death penalty,” he said. Francis appeared stoic in the courtroom. During the trial, he never testified. The judge asked if he had anything to say Thursday. His response was short, saying he planned to appeal.
