Elijah Nouvelage for CNNThis months-long CNN investigation reveals how, over several turbulent years, the town’s police force fell apart. Elijah Nouvelage for CNNBut then, on a sweltering Alabama afternoon in the summer of 2024, somebody snuck into the police department’s evidence room. Elijah Nouvelage for CNNFor a while Williams took the advice, he says, skirting Hanceville to drive the long route to Birmingham. Elijah Nouvelage for CNNCampbell looks at a picture of his daughter, who died while he was trying to clear his name. Elijah Nouvelage for CNNA hole in the wall exposed this force, but its foundations had been rotten for some time.

Source: CNN February 08, 2026 08:03 UTC