In the late hours of a September night in Montgomery, Alabama, the life of 19-year-old Zhivago Hines was tragically cut short. On September 24, 2016, the young man was sitting in a car outside his girlfriend's house on South Holt Street when he was fatally shot. After being struck by multiple bullets, Hines managed to drive away from the scene, but soon crashed his vehicle.
He was later pronounced dead, with the cause of death determined to be multiple gunshot wounds to his chest and lower body.
The investigation into the death of the male teenager led authorities to Kijuan Cortez Flowers. Evidence presented during the trial indicated that Flowers had gone to the residence looking for someone else when Hines arrived and parked in the driveway. As Hines began talking to another individual with his car door open, Flowers approached and shot him numerous times. The motive for this violent act was not clearly established during the legal proceedings.
Kijuan Cortez Flowers, who was 23 years old at the time of his conviction, was apprehended by United States Marshals. At the time of his arrest, he was found in possession of the weapon used in the shooting. On April 14, 2022, a Montgomery County Circuit Court convicted Flowers of capital murder. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison for the killing of Zhivago Hines. Flowers later sought to have his conviction overturned, but the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the original verdict on September 15, 2023, ensuring he would remain behind bars for his crime.
