Alabama man charged with killing two people because ‘They was ready to die’

Published 9:25 am Thursday, February 9, 2023

An Alabama man killed two people Sunday night, police said, after he believed people were stealing from his uncle.

Morgan County Sheriff’s Office investigators said Joshua Lamar Knighten, 35, of Falkville, Alabama, is charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of attempted murder.

Investigators said he shot and killed Mitchell Ray Beard, 62, and Beard’s stepson, Marcus Ken Reed, 36, both of Falkville.

Knighten is also charged with shooting Sarah Conley. She left the scene and arrived at the Falkville Police Department where she was then transported to a local hospital for treatment. She was treated and released.

The Decatur Daily newspaper reported that investigators said Knighten told 911 dispatchers, “I told them if I left out of that door and nobody told me who had been stealing from my uncle, that they was ready to die.”

Knighten is being held in the Morgan County Jail without bond.