AG Marshall announces Court of Criminal Appeals upholds attempted murder, other convictions in Lee County
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Special to the News
Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the convictions of Charles Daniel Waltman, age 40, of Opelika, for attempted murder, second-degree kidnapping and domestic violence strangulation. Waltman was convicted in the Lee County Circuit Court on March 21, 2021.
The evidence at trial showed that on the night of February 9, 2021, Waltman arrived at his former girlfriend’s home and, at some point, began taking drugs and asking his victim about her relationships with other men. Ultimately, as she pleaded for her life, Waltman attacked her while threatening to kill her.
Soon, the victim lost consciousness because of the beating she received from Waltman. In the following hours, Waltman attempted to strangle the victim while telling her repeatedly that she was going to die.
The victim convinced Waltman to leave her home, but Waltman insisted that the victim accompany him and threatened to kill her if she called law enforcement.
When Waltman stopped at a local restaurant, the victim was able to escape inside the restaurant where she was later rescued by police officers responding to the incident.
Lee County District Attorney Jessica Ventiere’s office successfully prosecuted this case and obtained a guilty verdict. Waltman was sentenced to a total of 65 years for his attempted murder, second-degree kidnapping and domestic violence strangulation convictions. Waltman sought to have his convictions reversed on appeal.
The Attorney General’s Criminal Appeals Division handled the case during the appeals process, arguing for the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals to affirm Waltman’s convictions. The court did so in a decision issued Friday, February 3, 2023.
Attorney General Marshall commended Assistant Attorney General John J. Davis for his successful work on this case and thanks District Attorney Ventiere and her staff for their valuable assistance in defending the attempted murder, second-degree kidnapping and domestic violence strangulation convictions.