Brian Martin was formally sentenced to death on Monday, October 26, in Colbert County, Alabama, for the 2021 killing of Sheffield Police Sgt. Nick Risner. The judge made official a jury's recommendation returned in September.
"Today's sentence represents justice and accountability for the murder of Sergeant Nick Risner," Colbert County District Attorney Hal Hughston said, WAFF reported. He thanked jurors who "honored their oath, and demonstrated the courage to render this verdict."
The shooting
Risner, 40, was a K-9 handler and a nine-year veteran of the Sheffield Police Department. On October 1, 2021, officers across Colbert County were searching for Martin in the shooting death of William Mealback Jr., whom prosecutors describe as his friend and former roommate. Prosecutors say Martin killed Mealback and threw his body from a car earlier that day.
Risner was shot during the pursuit in Muscle Shoals and died the next morning at Huntsville Hospital, Yellowhammer News reported. Dashcam video showed Martin firing five shots toward Risner's vehicle, and several witnesses testified they saw him shooting at the officer.
A defendant who asked not to be spared
Martin's defense at trial centered on his mental health. He testified that he believed people were following him and meant to harm him, and said he remembered little of the pursuit. Prosecutors challenged that account. A jury convicted him on all counts in September.
At the penalty phase, Martin did something defense lawyers rarely see. He waived his right to present mitigating evidence that might have supported a sentence of life without parole, even though his lawyers had hired a mitigation expert, WAFF reported. "I would rather be put to death than terrorized the rest of my life," he told the court. His attorney said Martin "just doesn't believe he's safe in general population," and added, "It goes against everything I believe in, but he's my client." The judge found he had not been coerced.
The 12-member jury recommended death unanimously in under 12 minutes. Alabama requires at least 10 of 12 jurors to agree on a death recommendation.
On Monday, Martin showed emotion only while giving his own statement, in which he said law enforcement ignored his pleas for help. Risner's brother, Billy, told him, "I forgive you for what you did. As for the law you deserve death."
Why the case changed Alabama law
The outrage over Risner's death was not only about the shooting. Martin had pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 2011 death of his father and received a 10-year sentence. He was released in 2016 after serving just over three years, according to Yellowhammer News.
In April 2022, Gov. Kay Ivey signed the Nick Risner Act, sponsored by state Rep. Phillip Pettus. It makes people convicted of killing someone with a deadly weapon ineligible for correctional incentive time, known as good time. "Sergeant Risner's killer should have never been released from prison in the first place," Ivey said.
The newsroom's timeline and arithmetic
2011: Martin's father is killed. Martin later pleads guilty to manslaughter and is sentenced to 10 years.
2016: Martin is released after serving just over three years, roughly a third of the sentence.
October 1, 2021: Mealback is killed and Risner is shot during the search for Martin. Risner dies the next morning.
April 2022: The Nick Risner Act becomes law.
September 2026: A jury convicts Martin and unanimously recommends death.
October 26, 2026: The death sentence is imposed, five years and 25 days after the shooting.
What comes next
Martin still faces a separate capital murder case in Mealback's death, which will be tried later. Death sentences in Alabama are reviewed on appeal, and a waiver of mitigation evidence is often a focus of that review, since appellate courts look closely at whether a defendant knowingly gave up the chance to argue for his life.
The same governor who signed the Risner Act also recently spared a condemned man, as we reported when Ivey commuted Toforest Johnson's death sentence. Martin's mental health claims also raise questions explored in our guide to how the insanity defense works.
Two Taps News stories summarize reporting and the analysis discussed on Two Taps and Friends. They are not legal advice. Read our standards.
