Marine veteran middle school teacher, 36, who shot dead an 11-year-old boy on a turkey hunt has charges upgraded to capital murder by Alabama grand jury
A grand jury has upgraded charges against Alabama man Joshua Stewart Burks, 36, in the May shooting death of 11-year-old Troy Ellis
On December 10 Burks was charged with capital murder of a person under the age of 14 and faces eligibility for the death penalty if convicted
In May Burks, a military vet and middle school teacher, went on a turkey hunt
During the hunt he fatally shot Troy Ellis and injured his father Obed Ellis
He was booked back into Jefferson County Jail Friday and released on bond
Veteran now charged with capital murder in 11-year-old Jeffco boy’s hunting death
Updated Dec 20, 2020;
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Joshua Stewart Burks, 36, was initially charged with reckless manslaughter in the death of Troy Ellis.
The grand jury, which heard the case on Dec. 10, upped the charge to capital murder of a person under the age of 14. Burks was booked back into the Jefferson County Jail at 3:18 p.m. Friday and was released at 5:30 p.m. after posting $60,000 bond. He was previously out on $15,000 bond.
Obed Ellis, Troy’s father and a football coach at Mortimer Jordan High School, was also injured in the shooting. Troy was a fifth grader at Cahaba Elementary School in Trussville when he was killed.