A high school football coach in Alabama was killed in a shooting that the suspect’s attorney says happened in the “heat of passion.”
Demetrice Darnell Beverly, 39, a football coach at Parker High School in Birmingham, was fatally shot on Aug. 13 while visiting a female friend, according to AL.com. Police have charged the woman’s boyfriend, De’Corlion Keshaun Robinson, with Beverly’s murder. Robinson’s lawyer argues the shooting was fueled by emotions.
According to the Birmingham Police Department, Beverly was with the woman on Wednesday night when Robinson returned home. Investigators allege that Robinson went into the bedroom where Beverly and the woman were, shot Beverly, and then fled the scene. The woman called 911, and officers arrived shortly before 9 p.m.
Authorities found Beverly unresponsive in the bedroom, and Birmingham Fire and Rescue pronounced him dead soon after.
Police announced Robinson’s arrest on Aug. 14. He faces one count of murder and one count of unlawful possession of a machine gun conversion device. Robinson was initially held without bond but later granted a total bond of $165,000 on Aug. 18, according to AL.com and his inmate record.
Robinson’s defense attorney, Emory Anthony, said the case may ultimately support a manslaughter charge rather than murder.
“When you look at it, at best, it should have been manslaughter instead of murder, heat of passion under the facts of the case that will eventually come out,” Anthony told AL.com.
Beverly’s family and friends are remembering his life, with funeral services scheduled this weekend, according to his obituary. Parker High School’s head coach, Frank Warren, described Beverly as a dedicated father, husband, coach, and mentor.
“He’d give you the shirt off his back,” Warren said. “He brought energy every day. He brought the best out of these kids.”
