Bond denied in murder case
PHIL CAMPBELL – A Franklin County man is behind bars without bail after allegedly shooting his father and stepmother and assaulting his aunt and cousin with a hammer Saturday morning, officials said.
Michael McLemore, 26, of Ruby Road in Phil Campbell, has been charged with two counts of capital murder and two counts of attempted murder in the shooting deaths of Ricky, 56, and Connie Hodge, 59, and the attempted murders of Marcia Smith, 57, and Royce Riddle, 63, Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver said.
According to Oliver, the crimes took place at 7:50 a.m. Saturday at the Ruby Road trailer where McLemore was reported to live with his parents and his aunt and uncle.
Oliver said the incident stems from an altercation between McLemore and Ricky Hodge. According to reports, McLemore asked his father for money but when Ricky Hodge refused to give him any money, McLemore is accused of using a .22 caliber rifle to shoot his father near the kitchen hallway of the trailer. Connie Hodge was shot while she was still in bed.
Oliver said it appears McLemore used a claw hammer to then assault Smith and Riddle who were in a back bedroom.
“After [McLemore] had committed the crimes, he went to a neighbor’s trailer and called 911,” Oliver said. “He told dispatchers what had happened and where we could find him.”
McLemore was taken into custody when officers arrived at the scene and transported to the Franklin County Jail.
Smith and Riddle were transported to Russellville Hospital where they were treated for their injuries and later released.
“What happened at this residence was a senseless crime that could have been avoided,” Oliver said. “It’s sad this kind of violence had to happen among family.”
At a bond hearing on Monday, District Judge Paula McDowell denied McLemore’s bond on the basis of the two capital murder charges. McLemore was also ordered to have no contact with the two surviving victims, Smith and Riddle.
For the capital murder charges, McLemore faces life in prison or the death penalty if convicted.
The incident is still under investigation by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Alabama Bureau of Investigation. The Phil Campbell Police Department assisted at the scene.
