Stanley Brent Chatman: Birmingham Serial Killer Profile
Overview
Stanley Brent Chatman is a Birmingham, Alabama violent offender who has been identified in some crime databases as a serial killer because four homicide victims have been connected to him across three separate incidents between 2005 and 2013. The legal record requires a more precise distinction. Chatman was convicted of manslaughter in the 2005 shooting death of 17-year-old Derrick Jackson, later convicted of murder in the 2013 shooting death of 31-year-old Derrick King, and subsequently indicted on capital-murder charges in connection with the June 2013 killings of 17-year-old twin brothers Jonathan and Jeremi Berry.
Chatman's criminal history is notable because his most serious alleged violence occurred only months after his release from prison. He had already spent years incarcerated for Jackson's death when he returned to Birmingham in November 2012. By March 2013, he was accused of another fatal shooting. Less than four months after that killing, prosecutors alleged that he participated in a violent home invasion that ended with two teenage brothers dead and their mother seriously wounded.
The 2005 Killing of Derrick Jackson
Chatman's first known homicide case occurred on August 27, 2005, when 17-year-old Derrick Jackson was shot outside the McAlpine Recreation Center at 1115 Avenue F in the Ensley area of Birmingham. Chatman, who was himself a teenager at the time, was arrested and prosecuted for Jackson's death.
Prosecutors initially pursued a murder charge, but the jury ultimately convicted Chatman of the lesser offense of manslaughter. He received a 15-year prison sentence. Records concerning the case also associated his sentence with a first-degree robbery conviction. Chatman did not serve the entire 15-year term and was released from prison in November 2012 after serving approximately five years.
The Jackson case established Chatman's history of lethal violence years before the crimes that would later bring his name back into Birmingham homicide investigations. His release in late 2012 was followed by another fatal shooting only a few months later.
The Murder of Derrick King
On March 1, 2013, Birmingham police were called to the 500 block of 10th Court North in the Smithfield area after a shooting was reported during the afternoon. Officers found 31-year-old Derrick King lying on the ground near 517 10th Court North suffering from a gunshot wound. King was transported to UAB Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators learned that King had been involved in a verbal confrontation with another man shortly before the gunfire. Police soon identified Stanley Chatman as the suspect. Chatman, who had been out of prison for only a few months, was arrested and charged with murder. His bond was initially set at $75,000.
The King prosecution eventually resulted in a murder conviction. In May 2014, while Chatman was also facing prosecution for the deaths of the Berry twins, a jury found him guilty of murdering Derrick King. In September 2014, a Jefferson County judge sentenced Chatman to 99 years in prison. The sentence ensured that, regardless of the outcome of his other pending cases, Chatman faced the possibility of spending most or all of the remainder of his life incarcerated.
The Wylam Twin Murders
The most notorious case connected to Chatman occurred on the night of June 28, 2013, in Birmingham's Wylam neighborhood. Seventeen-year-old twins Jonathan Berry and Jeremi Berry were at their family's residence at 736 Attalla Street when several armed men allegedly entered the home.
Evidence presented during preliminary proceedings described a frightening home invasion. Witness testimony indicated that three men arrived armed and forced their way into the residence. Members of the household were reportedly ordered inside while two masked men searched an adult bedroom. A third man remained with the children. Testimony indicated that the intruders were looking for the twins' mother or stepfather and that the incident was associated with an attempted robbery.
The twins' mother, LaTasha Berry, arrived at the residence while the incident was unfolding. According to investigators and testimony presented in court, gunfire erupted as she attempted to get away in her vehicle. She was struck by gunfire and crashed. She survived but suffered extremely serious injuries.
Jonathan and Jeremi Berry were then fatally shot inside the home. Both teenagers died on June 28, 2013. The deaths of the twins shocked the Wylam community, particularly because the victims were only 17 years old and were killed together inside their family's residence.
During a preliminary hearing, a relative who had been inside the home identified Chatman as the man who shot the twins. Investigators also obtained statements from another person accused of involvement in the episode. According to testimony concerning those statements, the group had gone to the residence in connection with an intended robbery. Prosecutors alleged that Chatman was not wearing a mask and killed the twins after they had seen his face.
Chatman was charged with two counts of capital murder and an attempted-murder charge connected to the shooting of the twins' mother. Later indictments included allegations of murdering two or more people during one act or course of conduct as well as capital-murder counts based on killings committed during robbery and burglary. Court proceedings concerning the case were still continuing years after the killings, including litigation in 2016 concerning the capital prosecution. Because the available verified court record establishes the indictments but does not establish a later final conviction for the Berry killings, those deaths are properly described as murders for which Chatman was charged and indicted rather than murders for which he was proven guilty by a final verdict.
Victims Connected to Stanley Chatman
- Derrick Jackson — Age 17. Died August 27, 2005. Jackson was shot outside the McAlpine Recreation Center at 1115 Avenue F in the Ensley area of Birmingham, Alabama. Chatman was originally prosecuted for murder but was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
- Derrick King — Age 31. Died March 1, 2013. King was shot near 517 10th Court North in the Smithfield area of Birmingham, Alabama, following a reported verbal confrontation. He was transported to UAB Hospital and pronounced dead. Chatman was convicted of King's murder in May 2014 and sentenced to 99 years in prison in September 2014.
- Jonathan Berry — Age 17. Died June 28, 2013. Jonathan was shot to death at his family's residence at 736 Attalla Street in the Wylam neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama, during an alleged armed home invasion. Chatman was charged and indicted on capital-murder counts in connection with his death.
- Jeremi Berry — Age 17. Died June 28, 2013. Jeremi, whose first name has also appeared as "Jeremie" in some news accounts, was killed alongside his twin brother Jonathan at 736 Attalla Street in Wylam, Birmingham, Alabama. Chatman was charged and indicted on capital-murder counts in connection with his death.
Arrests, Convictions, and Imprisonment
Chatman's history with the criminal justice system stretches back to the Derrick Jackson killing in 2005. Although prosecuted for murder in that case, the jury returned a manslaughter verdict, and Chatman received a 15-year sentence. He was released in November 2012.
His freedom was short-lived. Following Derrick King's death on March 1, 2013, Birmingham detectives identified Chatman as the suspected shooter and charged him with murder. While that case was still proceeding through the courts, the Berry twins were killed on June 28, 2013, and Chatman became one of the people accused in the Wylam home invasion.
The King case reached trial first. Chatman's May 2014 murder conviction produced a 99-year prison sentence four months later. Meanwhile, prosecutors continued pursuing the substantially more serious capital charges involving Jonathan and Jeremi Berry. Those charges exposed Chatman to the most severe penalties available under Alabama law.
A Pattern of Escalating Violence
The crimes associated with Stanley Chatman span approximately eight years and involve victims ranging from teenagers to an adult man in his thirties. The cases also demonstrate why his name has appeared on lists of American serial killers even though his legal history does not consist of four murder convictions. He was criminally convicted in connection with two separate deaths: manslaughter for Derrick Jackson and murder for Derrick King. Prosecutors then accused him of personally killing two additional victims, the Berry twins, during a separate incident.
Particularly disturbing is the compressed timeline following Chatman's release from prison. He left incarceration in November 2012 after serving time for the Jackson killing. Derrick King was killed on March 1, 2013, approximately four months later. Jonathan and Jeremi Berry were killed on June 28, 2013, less than four months after King's death. By the summer of 2013, Chatman had gone from a recently released prisoner to a defendant accused of participating in one of Birmingham's most shocking double murders.
Legacy of the Cases
The deaths associated with Stanley Chatman left four families grieving across two generations of Birmingham homicide cases. Derrick Jackson was only 17 when he was killed in 2005. Derrick King was 31 when he was shot in broad daylight in 2013. Jonathan and Jeremi Berry, both 17, died together inside their family's home only months later.
Chatman's 99-year sentence for Derrick King's murder ultimately removed him from the community for what could effectively amount to the rest of his life. His earlier manslaughter conviction and the later capital-murder indictments involving the Berry twins created a criminal record spanning multiple homicide investigations. While the precise legal outcomes must be distinguished from allegations, the sequence of deaths and prosecutions explains why Stanley Brent Chatman became identified with a particularly violent period of Birmingham's criminal history.
