A Dale County woman accused of fatally shooting her husband as he slept has been ordered to undergo treatment at a state mental health facility, according to recently filed court documents.
On Tuesday, Judge Kimberly Crawford ruled that Annie Huffstutler will be remanded to the Alabama Department of Mental Health for competency restoration treatment. The order follows an evaluation by a state psychologist who determined Huffstutler is not mentally fit to stand trial at this time.
Huffstutler was arrested in early June at her home on West Main Street in Ariton. Dale County Sheriff Mason Bynum said she shot her husband, Shawn Watson, while he was asleep. She is charged with one count of murder and has pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
Investigators say five children were inside the home during the shooting. While none witnessed the incident, they told authorities they heard the gunfire. Huffstutler and Watson were married but used different last names.
A 13-year-old Cottonwood boy is facing a fight no child should ever endure — but thanks to thousands of strangers, he’s not facing it alone.
Karson Pender is a typical young teen who loves football and is known for his kindness and wisdom beyond his years. But in April, his world changed when he was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor impacting his cognitive abilities.
Since then, Karson has bravely completed 21 of his 42 chemotherapy treatments, with his family at his side every step of the way.
Support for Karson has now stretched far beyond his hometown. More than a thousand letters have arrived from across the country and around the world, each filled with love, encouragement, and hope.
The outpouring began through Cards for a Cure, a yearly holiday campaign dedicated to lifting the spirits of children battling cancer. Karson’s mother, Brittany Granger, says the letters have become a source of strength for her son on the hardest days.
“When you see hundreds and hundreds of strangers — people who don’t know you and you don’t know them — take time out of their day to send a card, that’s pretty special,” Granger said. “I think he thinks it’s a really neat deal.”
Each handwritten message brightens Karson’s day, giving him bursts of joy and energy to continue fighting.
His family says they look forward to the day when they can be the ones sending cards, spreading hope to other children going through the same battle. Their goal is to help deliver more than 3,500 cards next year.
Those wishing to support Karson and follow his journey can find more information on the family’s Facebook group and their GoFundMe page.
Petersen was convicted in the three-week Teasers Hard Rock Cabaret murder trial — the longest in county history — but fewer than half of the seated jurors were women. His current defense team argues that if more women had served, Petersen may have received life without parole instead of a death sentence. The Alabama attorney general’s office opposes a new trial. Judge Derrick has ordered both sides to submit briefs by January 15.
At the center of the dispute is a recording in which Valeska comments that he did not want an all-female jury. Defense attorneys say that remark, combined with the pattern of peremptory strikes, shows women were removed because of their sex. If the court agrees, it could order a new trial or a new sentencing hearing.
The court is also weighing claims that Petersen’s original lawyers, Ben Freeman and Christopher Capps, were ineffective. Both men testified Monday, insisting their performance met professional standards.
Judge Derrick will apply two main legal standards: whether the prosecutor’s jury strikes were based on gender and whether trial counsel’s performance fell below constitutional requirements under Strickland v. Washington. His decision will determine whether Petersen receives a new trial or whether the conviction and death sentence stand.
Both sides will file written arguments by the January deadline, after which Judge Derrick will issue a ruling that could either reopen one of the county’s most notable cases or leave the original verdict in place.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating 37-year-old Nicholas Lee Jones, who was last seen on December 6, 2025.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows Jones leaving a local hotel with an unknown woman, believed to be Hispanic, in a red Jeep Cherokee. Deputies say Jones’ current whereabouts remain unknown.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 850-482-9624. Callers may remain anonymous.
This is a developing story — please share to help bring him home safely
Dothan Police are requesting the community’s assistance in identifying a person captured in a recently released photo connected to an ongoing investigation.
Officials urge anyone who recognizes the individual to contact the Dothan Police Department at 334-615-3632 or 334-793-0215. Callers who wish to remain anonymous will have their identities protected, authorities said.
The case number associated with this investigation is CN 01-25-029650.
Walton County deputies arrested Perry Lee Cosson on Sunday after a series of alarming incidents that investigators say targeted a local woman.
According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the victim’s home after she reported receiving hundreds of explicit and threatening text messages and voicemails. In one alleged voicemail, Cosson reportedly said, “I chose not to (expletive) kill you. I want to and I can get away with it.”
Deputies say they discovered that earlier in the day, Cosson had gone to the victim’s property, where he allegedly burned the tires on his vehicle and threw frozen fish at the home’s exterior wall and the fence surrounding the property.
Cosson was taken into custody and charged with stalking. His bond was set at $100,000, according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities have not released information regarding Cosson’s court date, whether he has obtained an attorney, or if he has any prior criminal history. The sheriff’s office noted that the investigation remains ongoing.
Officials encourage anyone with information related to the case to contact Walton County investigators. For the safety and privacy of the victim, law enforcement is not releasing any identifying details.
