Buzbee To Be Re-tried On Capital Murder Charges

Alabama Spanish Fort Man accused of robbing and killing Spanish Fort businessman Bobby Wilson will be back in court next week for "second" capital murder trial

by Pat Peterson

Published: Fri, August 14, 2009 - 3:46 pm CST Last Updated: Fri, August 14, 2009 - 5:24 pm CST

Sitting through another capital murder trial will be hard for Bobby Wilson's daughter.

"It's mentally, physically, and emotionally draining to go through everything again," says Tracey Goens. "But I think this is a chance for us to do everything better."

In May, Goens and Wilson's entire family held vigil inside the courtroom as Eric Buzbee stood trial, accused of murdering the man they loved so much. For nearly a month, they listened to testimony and patiently waited for a verdict. That verdict never happened. The jury was hung and Judge James Reid declared a mistrial.

The Baldwin County District Attorney's Office says they're better prepared this time around and are ready to to present an easier case to the jury.

"I don't believe it's appropriate to try any case in the media," says D.A. Judy Newcomb. "The fact we haven't commented on this case in the media like the defense has doesn't mean we're not confident because we are."

Buzbee, accused of robbing and beating Wilson to death at his Spanish Fort gas station in 2007, will be in court Monday as attorneys select the jury. Opening arguments are expected to begin on Thursday.

Buzbee's attorney, Fairhope lawyer John Beck was out of town and unavailable for an interview. Beck did tell News 5 by phone his client is innocent and says he'll prove to the jury someone else killed Wilson.

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SFALresident Says:

Sun, Aug 16, 2009 at 2:24 pm

I was a juror and it was really extremely hard. The thing that I had to keep reminding myself was that the burden of proof is on the prosecution. They have to prove he is guilty; not the other way around. Quite simply put, after that trial, I unequivacobly believe that Eric Buzbee is not only NOT guilty, he is innocent of the charges. It is sad that he is being persecuted. Why are all the drug dealers still walking the streets that made deals with the DA in exchange for testimony against Mr. Buzbee?

southfan1981 Says:

Sun, Aug 16, 2009 at 2:10 pm

I hope if I ever served as a juror, I’d have the tenacity to keep the law ahead of emotion. Thanks for the reminder.

SFALresident Says:

Sun, Aug 16, 2009 at 11:23 am

For weeks, I sat and listened to testimony and studiously went through the evidence against Leslie Eric Buzbee and I have to wonder why Eric Buzbee is being retried for the crime of bludgeoning and robbing Bobby Wilson. This case is not as simple, nor as cut and dried as it may seem from information that has been published. There are quite a few extenuating circumstances and so very, very many unanswered questions. These unanswered questions, however, very strongly suggest that the wrong person is sitting in jail and being tried for this brutal and senseless crime.

While everyone can agree, this is a tragedy of epic proportions for both families; justice must be served by solving this crime. For this crime to be solved to the satisfaction of everyone involved, much more evidence is needed and it would be advantageous for all parties to go back to the drawing board and reexamine everything.