PRATTVILLE — Willie Foster has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the bludgeoning death of a well-known Prattville woman, Carol Parker Nunnery.
But is the investigation into her 2016 murder over?
Circuit Judge Sibley Reynolds sentenced Foster, 36, of Prattville. Foster entered a guilty plea to felony murder in July in what has become a complicated and confusing case.
Foster was charged in May of 2016 with capital murder, murder, robbery and fraudulent use of a credit card in the death of Nunnery, 72, a well-known downtown resident. Foster has been in jail under no bond since his arrest on May 26, 2016. No bond is standard in a capital case.
Terry Luck, one of Foster’s attorneys, has always held there were other people involved in the crime. He mentioned one man’s name in open court during the sentencing. The Montgomery Advertiser will not use the man’s name because he hasn’t been charged in connection with Nunnery’s murder.
In just one of the unusual twists in this saga, the defense attorneys and Nunnery’s family have developed a relationship.
“My job was to defend Willie, and Willie has taken responsibility for the role he played,” Luck said. “But there are others out there who were actively involved. We firmly believe this. They, too, need to be held accountable.
“Carol’s family deserves complete justice. Carol deserves complete justice.”
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Luck said Foster’s defense team is working with the district attorney’s office to aid any further investigation in the case.
District Attorney C.J. Robinson says that cooperation has borne fruit.
“We have received evidence we were unaware of,” he said. “We feel there is at least one more person involved in Mrs. Nunnery’s death. The level of that culpability is unknown. That’s why the investigation continues.
“I realize this case has taken a long time. But we remain committed to follow the evidence wherever it takes us. If that means one more year or 10 more years, we will continue to investigate. Mrs. Nunnery does deserve to have complete justice.”
The felony murder statute has an accomplice element, Robinson explains.
“Under Alabama law, as it covers felony murder, if a defendant is present during the commission of a dangerous felony, and a person is killed in the presence of the defendant during the commission of that dangerous felony, the defendant is guilty of felony murder,” Robinson said, after Foster’s plea.
The serious felony was robbery, he said.
“Willie was there, he profited from the felony, but he didn’t kill Mrs. Nunnery,” Luck said after the plea agreement was accepted. “But under the law he is guilty of felony murder.”
Foster’s arrest warrant reads that he caused the death of Nunnery by “… a blunt object and or a vehicle …”
Nunnery’s body was found off of County Road 3 near Autaugaville. A short time after a passerby discovered her body, Nunnery’s car was found in Prattville off of Highway 14, records show.
Foster and Nunnery knew one another. He had worked for her at her home as a handyman or doing yard work.
In August of 2021, Reynolds ruled that Foster was mentally incompetent to face the death penalty. Mental evaluations put Foster’s IQ at 64. And while Alabama law has no IQ requirement when it comes facing the death penalty, federal law bars the death penalty for people with an IQ below 70.
Foster’s plea agreement says he will offer truthful testimony against any co-defendants.
Nunnery was active in The Autauga Creek Improvement Committee, which touted the creek’s recreational possibilities. She was also involved in other charitable efforts in town. Her home was near Prattville Kindergarten School and she kept tabs on things by riding around the area on her golf cart.
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com.
