Colt Carroll Found Guilty of Murder
A Marshall County jury found Colt Carroll, 36, guilty of murder and abuse of a corpse for the October 2023 death of Faleisha Thompson, who was 42 at the time. Both Carroll and Ms. Thompson lived in Union Grove at the time of the murder.
District Attorney Jennifer Bray and Chief Assistant District Attorney Ed Kellett tried the case for the prosecution. Presiding Circuit Court Judge Christopher Abel presided over the trial that lasted through the week.
Bray said, “Faleisha Thompson got justice today. And while nothing can bring her back to her family, today’s verdict affirms our commitment to protecting this community.” Bray added, “We are grateful to the jury, who had to hear and see the truly harrowing evidence. Their work guarantees Carroll is held accountable for his crimes, and that he will not be able to hurt another innocent person.”
The Guntersville Police Department led the investigation with the assistance of the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office and Marshall County Coroner’s Office. Bray applauded the entire investigation as meticulous and thanked all departments involved for their role in securing today’s guilty verdict, specifically GPD Dep. Chief John East, who was the lead investigator on the case. Bray also expressed gratitude to her entire office for their collective effort and unwavering dedication to justice throughout this prosecution that ultimately sealed Carroll’s fate.
Evidence presented to the jury at trial showed Carroll beat Ms. Thompson in a ditch beside JW Darnell Avenue before attempting to conceal her remains in the dirt and then fleeing. Multiple witnesses testified to seeing Carroll and the victim in the area. The jury also heard medical evidence that revealed Ms. Thompson’s cause of death to be blunt force trauma and strangulation. The medical examiner testified that the severe injuries, including several broken bones in her face, neck, and torso, brain swelling and bleeding, and skin and tissue being torn from her face due to repetitive impact, could have only been caused by a severe beating and strangulation.
Kellett commented, “We want to thank those witnesses who were driving down the road that night and called police to report what they saw. Without citizens like that in our community coming forward, verdicts like today’s aren’t possible.”
Sentencing is scheduled for April 6. Under Alabama law, Carroll faces a potential sentence of life imprisonment. With the nature of this brutal attack, we are confident Judge Abel will sentence Mr. Carroll to the maximum punishment.