JACKSON COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — A Jackson County jury found a Henagar man guilty on all counts, including criminally negligent homicide, according to court documents.
Matthew Wade Dabbs, 37, was originally charged with manslaughter in connection to the 2020 death of Travis Skinner. He was also charged with second-degree assault, leaving the scene of an accident with injuries and failure to give information and render aid.
According to the Times-Journal, several witnesses saw a large black truck “chasing” a motorcycle on Carlyle Road on August 13, 2020. Skinner was the driver of that motorcycle and had a female passenger on the back.
Dabbs allegedly told officers he had been in a relationship with that woman, but denied any involvement in the wreck.
It was days into the investigation before Dabbs allegedly admitted to police that he saw the pair on the motorcycle and followed them. Skinner is said to have passed one vehicle to try to get away from Dabbs, but Dabbs also passed that vehicle.
Matthew Dabbs later told officers he was trying to get ahead of the motorcycle to make them stop, the Times-Journal reported, but the motorcycle and vehicle made contact, causing the bike to crash, while Dabbs later admitted to fleeing from the scene after the wreck.
Dabbs was indicted in June 2022 for manslaughter, saying he “recklessly caused the death of William Travis Skinner,” after hitting Skinner’s motorcycle with his vehicle. The court document goes on to say that Dabbs also tried to hurt another person with his vehicle.
On August 4, 2022, Dabbs pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and waived his right to an arraignment.
According to online court documents, the jury found Dabbs guilty of the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide along with finding him guilty of leaving the scene of an accident with injuries, and failure to give information and render aid.
Records show that a sentencing hearing has been scheduled for June 16 at the Jackson County Courthouse under Circuit Judge Jeremy S. Taylor.