On a Saturday afternoon in Montgomery, Alabama, 37-year-old Thomas Hand Jr. was shot and killed. The incident occurred on January 22, 2022, on Texas Street. At the time of the fatal shooting, Hand, a male, was with his two-year-old son and his wife, Christine Kozlowski Hand, a former Miss Mississippi who was pregnant with their second child. Reports suggest that Hand, who had embraced Christianity in 2018, was sharing his faith in the neighborhood when he was approached by an individual and
shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The family had moved to Montgomery from a New Orleans suburb in 2021, seeking a safer environment. Hand, a former competitive bodybuilder, and his wife had made it a regular practice to visit different areas to share their religious beliefs. Just days before his death, he had written a heartfelt anniversary message to his wife, expressing his excitement about their growing family and the upcoming birth of their next child. His sudden and violent death left his family and community in shock.
Following the shooting, authorities in Montgomery swiftly made an arrest. A 17-year-old male named Jerimiah Walker was taken into custody and charged with capital murder in connection with Thomas Hand Jr.'s death. The charge of capital murder was brought, in part, because the crime occurred in the presence of a child under the age of 14. The case was then set to move through the criminal justice system.
