Alabama Court Upholds Byrd's Death Sentence

0:00It's April 9th. Welcome to Birmingham News Today, powered by AI. Alabama's Court of Criminal Appeals just upheld the dismissal of Roddard Bird's challenge to his triple capital murder conviction and death sentence. This stems from a brutal robbery at the airport in in Birmingham on Thanksgiving Day in 2005, where Bird and his buddy Brandon Mitchell killed three innocent people. The two had planned the heist at Bird's sister's place, with Mitchell recruiting help since he used to work there. They walked in armed with pistols, faces clear on camera, and shot the desk clerk, a truck driver waiting in the lobby, and a visitor from New York. Right in the back of the head before fleeing, the jury heard all the evidence back in 2007, found Bird guilty on four capital murder counts and recommended death, which the judge approved on August 17th that year. Victims included Kim Olney, behind the desk, Marine vet John Ellsworth, and Dorothy Smith there for family. Bird confessed his role in Georgia after the crime, but denied the killings, though footage

1:03showed Mitchell pulling triggers. He filed for post-conviction relief in 2012. Courts bounced it around for over 10 years, dismissed in 2023, and affirmed that on March 27th, 2026. Both Bird and Mitchell sit on death row at home in prison and at more. Their sentence is standing firm as the appeals wrap up.