HOUSTON COUNTY, Ala (WDHN) — After only a two-minute arraignment in a Houston County courtroom, a man accused of shooting his ex-girlfriend in the head is maintaining his innocence.
Benjamin Nowell, 35, is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend Brittany Phillips in early July 2022.
According to the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, Philips was giving someone a ride home from a party and was followed by Nowell, who hit Philip’s car to get her to shop on Knowles Road and then shot her. They had dated for 14 months before she broke it off.
She got out of the vehicle and was going to call 9-1-1. He backed up, pulled right next to her, and while he was in the car he shot her.
Houston County Sheriff Donald Valenza
A manhunt for Nowell was initiated and after an 11-and-a-half-hour search, he was found and arrested off of Henry County Road 22.
Nowell is facing one count of capital murder, and a trial date has not been set.
