ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (WRBL) – A man has been jailed, facing a capital murder charge following a fatal home invasion in Alexander City on Saturday. Authorities state that 22-year-old Steven Abercrombie forced his way into a residence in the 4000 block of Washington Street on the morning of July 19. Upon the officers’ arrival, they discovered 32-year-old Toyias Gopher had been shot and killed inside the home.
The Alexander City Police Department requested assistance from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) for the investigation. Special Agents from ALEA’s State Bureau of Investigation arrived at the scene around 11:15 a.m.
Abercrombie was apprehended and is charged with Capital Murder during a Robbery, as well as burglary and theft of property. He is currently detained at the Tallapoosa County Jail without bond.
DA Mike Segrest with The Fifth Judicial Circuit District Atorney’s Office, which prosecutes cases in Tallapoosa County, released a statement saying his office stepped away from the case because one of its employees has a conflict of interest.
“At 10:05am Saturday, July 19th District Attorney Mike Segrest was notified of a murder investigation involving the above named defendant. At 10:12am District Attorney Mike Segrest contacted the Attorney General’s office asking the AG to take over the investigation and prosecution of the case because of an internal conflict of interest of an employee in the District Attorney’s office. The District Attorney’s office has been fire-walled from this investigation from the very beginning and does not have any information related to the investigation,” said Segrest.
ALEA says the investigation is still ongoing. Once it is complete, the findings will be handed over to the Attorney General’s Office.
