On Wednesday, October 7th, Defendant Tyiesha Pollard appeared in the Circuit Court of Pike County for jury selection for a trial on the charge of murder for the killing of her husband, Quinta D. Maddox, on September 3, 2023 in Troy. The jury was seated and the trial began the same day. The State was represented by Deputy District Attorney Ternisha Jones and Assistant District Attorney Blake Meadows. The trial was presided over by Circuit Judge Henry “Sonny” Reagan. Following multiple days of trial, the jury deliberated for approximately 3 hours and returned a verdict of Guilty on Wednesday, October 14th.
Testimony and evidence presented at trial showed that the Troy Police Department and Troy Fire and Rescue responded to a single vehicle accident on Pine Street in Troy. Upon extricating the driver, it was determined that he was suffering from a gunshot wound. Troy Police could not immediately identify the driver and began an investigation into the circumstances. The investigation took them to a residence in the 600 block of Pine Street where patrol officers met with the Defendant. At that time the Defendant did not say anything about a shooting and directed officers to the Brantley Mobile Home Park to try to find information on who they were looking for regarding the wreck. The investigation led back to the home on Pine Street and when officers looked around the side of the house they found blood on the ground and bullet strike marks in the side wall of the house.
Defendant Pollard was formally interviewed and she stated that her husband, Mr. Maddox, had attacked her. At first, she stated that she pulled out a gun and then said that Mr. Maddox had the gun. She went on to say that there was a fight for the gun and Mr. Maddox ended up being shot. Defendant Pollard stated that multiple shots were fired inside the home and that there was a fight in the home. A search of the home revealed no evidence or suggestion of a struggle or fight. Further there was only one bullet hole inside the house and it was next to the back door and showed that the bullet traveled from inside the home towards the outside. Detectives were unable to determine an exact location of where the gun was fired during the murder because Defendant Pollard picked up all of the shell casings and threw them in the trashcan, but all evidence showed that multiple shots were fired outside the home. Moreover, Defendant Pollard had no marks or injuries on her body that would indicate any type of physical attack being committed against her by Mr. Maddox.
Mr. Maddox was sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for an autopsy. The autopsy determined he had been shot twice- once in the leg and once in the back. The shot to his back was at a slightly downward angle and exited through his abdomen. The gunshot wound into his back and through his abdomen was fatal. There was no evidence of soot or stippling on the wound or on Mr. Maddox’s clothing, thus it was determined that the gunshots were not close contact wounds but fired at a distance further than 18 inches. The autopsy and physical evidence were inconsistent with the story told by Defendant Pollard.
Deputy District Attorney Jones stated, “I appreciate the jury’s verdict in this case and am glad the family of Mr. Maddox finally has verification of the truth that they have known and carried for these past three years- that Tyiesha Pollard murdered Quinta Maddox.”
Assistant District Attorney Meadows said, “This verdict is a direct result of the thorough investigation conducted by the Troy Police Department in this case. The evidence gathered during the investigation helped us show the jury all the inconsistencies and holes in Defendant Pollard’s version of events.”
District Attorney James Tarbox said, “Hard work pays off in the courtroom. I’m grateful to Deputy DA Jones and Assistant DA Meadows because their hard work has yielded a good and just result in this trial. Because of that hard work, our team was able to show all of the lies and inconsistencies told by Defendant Pollard in this case. Now, the family of Mr. Maddox will be able to close this chapter of the book and hopefully be able to remember the good times they had with their loved one.”
Defendant Pollard will be sentenced on November 12th at the Pike County Judicial Complex.
The District Attorney’s Office thanks the Troy Police Department, Troy Fire and Rescue, and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for their hard work and investigations in this matter.
James Tarbox
District Attorney
12th Judicial Circuit
State of Alabama
