In the summer of 2019, the life of 39-year-old Lakresha Sommerville, a Black/African American woman, was tragically cut short. On July 19, 2019, she was found deceased in the passenger seat of her car in Aliceville, Alabama, having been shot in the head. At the time of her death, she had been reported missing from Ardmore, Tennessee, by her mother who feared she had been kidnapped.
The prime suspect in her death was her estranged husband, 47-year-old Fred Sommerville.
A history of domestic violence reportedly existed between the couple. The events leading to the discovery of Lakresha's body began the night before, on July 18, 2019, in Ardmore, Alabama. A 74-year-old man named Bruce Cosman was fatally shot outside his home after he went to investigate strange noises in his backyard.
The following day, police in Aliceville, Alabama, received a report of a stolen vehicle, which belonged to Lakresha Sommerville. When officers attempted to stop the car, the driver, Fred Sommerville, tried to flee. Officers fired at the vehicle, bringing it to a stop. It was then that they discovered Lakresha's body in the front passenger seat; it was determined she had been deceased for several hours.
Fred Sommerville was arrested and initially held in Pickens County, Alabama, on charges of attempt to elude, first-degree theft of property, abuse of a corpse, and reckless endangerment. He was later extradited to Limestone County and charged with the capital murder of Bruce Cosman. Subsequently, he was also charged with a second count of capital murder in connection with the death of his estranged wife, Lakresha Sommerville. The specific charge was capital murder of a person inside a vehicle.
