A 22-year veteran of the Mobile Police Department, Corporal Julius Norman Schulte, a 53-year-old male, was known by his colleagues as a 'peacemaker' for his ability to de-escalate situations. A United States Navy veteran of the Korean War, he was described as a kind and gentle man who had a particular affinity for helping children, making him a natural fit for his work in the juvenile division.
His colleagues remembered him as being tough but unable to bear seeing a child cry.
On the evening of April 18, 1985, Corporal Schulte was on duty when a call came in about a missing child, leading him to a residence on Etta Avenue. When he arrived, he found a domestic dispute in progress. He called for backup, but before fellow officers could get to the scene, a man shot Corporal Schulte twice in the head while he was still seated in his patrol car. The shooter also shot his own girlfriend, who survived and later testified against him. For five days, Corporal Schulte fought for his life in the hospital before succumbing to his wounds on April 24, 1985. He was survived by his wife, son, and daughter.
The perpetrator was identified as Vernon Madison, who was on parole at the time of the murder. Madison was arrested the day after the shooting, with the murder weapon still in his possession. He was convicted of the murder of Corporal Schulte and sentenced to death. Madison's journey through the justice system was a long and complex one. He spent decades on death row, with his legal team filing numerous appeals. A significant point of contention in his later years was his mental state; having suffered several strokes, his lawyers argued that he had dementia and no memory of killing Corporal Schulte, making him unfit for execution. The case went through various courts, with stays of execution being granted. Ultimately, Vernon Madison was never executed; he died in prison in 2020.
