08/22/2024
Opp Woman Found GUILTY in 2020 Andalusia Murder
This week, a Covington County jury made up of eight men and four women found Brittany Erin Nicole Head, 25, of Opp, guilty of Felony Murder for the November 2020 slaying of Micah Spencer C**n, 26, of Andalusia. The jury also found Head guilty of Burglary in the First Degree. Presiding Circuit Court Judge Lex Short presided over the case. District Attorney Walt Merrell led the prosecution’s efforts. During the four-day trial, Assistant District Attorney Nikki Stephens and Erin Wilson, a long-time employee of the DA’s Office and a third-year law student conditionally admitted to practice, also contributed to the team effort. “It was a hard week for our office,” Merrell noted. “Chief ADA Grace Jeter was in another courtroom with Judge Bowden securing a conviction in a multi-day child po*******hy case. Truth be told, our office was stretched as thin as we could be stretched, but these are some of the hardest working folks I know, and they put in the long hours and did what it took to make sure justice was served. From ensuring things ran smoothly with witnesses in both courtrooms, to arranging lunch and offering words of encouragement to keep us going, I am proud of them and can't thank them enough.”
During Head’s trial, Merrell offered testimony from employees of Froggy’s Corner Store, located at the intersection of West Watson Street and Three Notch Street in Andalusia, who testified that, on the night of Micah’s murder, there was a physical altercation in the parking lot between Micah, Brittany Head, and her husband. “According to Head, the fight started when Head’s husband referred to Micah in a derogatory manner,” Merrell told the jury. “Every bit of the interaction was captured on video. Micah can be heard telling Head that he would not fight a woman, frustrating Head as she continued to be aggressive with him. And, because Micah easily won the parking lot fight against Head’s husband, Head’s pride left her enraged.”
The State also presented video surveillance from two nearby churches. This footage provided a clear, chronological timeline of the events that detailed each step of the defendants’ travel, to within a block or so of Micah’s home. Merrell then called Andalusia Investigator Zak Wallace, who testified that, “From the time of the fight until Micah called 911, less than 13 minutes had elapsed.” Wallace testified that not only had the Department gathered a significant amount of video evidence, but they also collected DNA from the scene that was a match to one of the co-defendants.
In Micah’s graphic 911 phone call, listeners in the courtroom heard Micah try to stop the home invasion by telling the defendants, “My kids are in here!” Elizabeth Sunday, the now-retired 911 operator who took the call, testified that soon after she heard Micah talking of his children, she heard what she believed to be a gunshot and Micah screaming in pain.
ADA Stephens called an eyewitness whose testimony placed Head and her accomplices at Micah’s home committing the crime. Next, Wilson called Dr. Edward Reedy from the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, who testified that Micah was killed with a rifled projectile that entered his pelvis and fragmented throughout his abdomen. Reedy also testified that Micah’s front teeth had been knocked out and that his eye was blacked, all due to blunt force trauma.
According to Merrell, “Micah C**n was a father to three young children. He worked two jobs trying to provide for his family, and he had gone to the store on his way home from work. There, he was verbally accosted by Head and her husband, and it ultimately cost him his life just minutes later. Embarrassed from the fight, Head and her husband went and recruited three other family members, and then the group of five broke into Micah’s home and killed him while his wife and children hid in the next room.”
Short set sentencing for October 8, 2024. Merrell said, “The sentencing range for her conviction is a minimum of 20 years, up to Life in prison. We will certainly ask for Life.”
Merrell added that, “The Andalusia Police Department worked exceptionally hard on this case and did an excellent job. I appreciate Zak’s dedication and hard work on this case, and his seeing it through to Head’s conviction. I also appreciate APD’s leadership and investigative team for working so hard during the investigation and throughout the trial process. They did a great job and made a great case.” Merrell also expressed his appreciation to the State Bureau of Investigations and the United States Marshals Service, who assisted in the investigation.
Merrell noted that, “One of Head’s four co-defendants has already pled guilty. As for the rest of them… their day is coming.”
