On a spring morning in May 2020, the life of 11-year-old Troy Justice Ellis was tragically cut short during a turkey hunt in the woods of eastern Jefferson County, Alabama. The boy, a fifth-grader from Trussville, was participating in a hunt organized for wounded veterans on his father's land off Cedar Mountain Road in the Pinson area on May 1, 2020. His father, Obed Ellis, a high school football coach, was acting as a guide for the event.
During the hunt, Troy was fatally shot.
His father also sustained an injury to his knee. The person responsible for the shooting was identified as Joshua Stewart Burks, a 35-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran and middle school teacher from Mobile. Burks, an amputee, was one of the veterans participating in the organized hunt. He surrendered to authorities and was initially charged with reckless manslaughter. His attorney stated that Burks never intended for the tragic accident to occur and expressed deep remorse for the Ellis family.
The legal proceedings that followed saw the charge against Burks fluctuate. A grand jury later indicted him on the more severe charge of capital murder of a person under the age of 14. This decision was met with disappointment by Burks's legal team, who maintained that the incident was a terrible accident. Ultimately, the charge was reduced back to reckless manslaughter before the case went to trial.
During the trial, emotional testimony was heard from Troy's father, who recounted the final moments of his son's life. The prosecution argued that Burks had acted recklessly. In the end, Joshua Stewart Burks was found guilty of reckless manslaughter for the death of Troy Justice Ellis. The tragic event also led to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the Ellis family against Burks and the organization that sponsored the hunt, which was reportedly settled out of court.
