On a tragic Thanksgiving Day in 2015, Sherika Huff Packer, a 24-year-old woman, was fatally shot in Montgomery, Alabama. The violence that erupted on November 26th also claimed the life of her husband, 34-year-old Anthony Packer.
The incident unfolded at the home of Sherika's mother, where a holiday gathering turned into a scene of deadly violence. A dispute and physical altercation broke out between individuals at the gathering and people at a neighboring house.
During the fight, Anthony Packer reportedly struck a man named Kelly with a beer bottle, knocking him unconscious.
In the ensuing chaos, Steven Chalmers Varnado, Kelly's brother, retrieved a gun from his house and opened fire. Sherika Huff Packer was shot twice in the chest and later died at a local hospital. Before succumbing to her injuries, she was able to tell a police officer that the person who shot her was 'next door.' Her husband, Anthony, was shot once in the chest and died at the scene. Another individual, Legarian Huffman, Sherika's brother, was shot in the hand.
Steven Chalmers Varnado was arrested and subsequently charged in the deaths of the couple. He was convicted on three counts of capital murder and one count of attempted murder. The court sentenced Varnado to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the capital murder convictions and a concurrent life sentence for the attempted murder conviction.
However, in a later appeal, Varnado's capital murder convictions were reversed. The appellate court ruled that the jury had not been properly instructed on the lesser-included offense of heat-of-passion manslaughter. While his attempted murder conviction was affirmed, the reversal of the capital murder convictions meant that the case would be sent back to the lower court for further proceedings.
