Criminal Details

The Dothan Eagle
May 7, 2013

A Houston County judge dismissed the murder charge filed against a Birmingham man in a fatal shooting outside a Dothan nightclub.

Attorney Clay Wadsworth said Circuit Court Judge Michael Conaway dismissed the murder charge filed against his 31-year-old client, Travarius Dewaunkalis Daniel, based on a request by Houston County District Attorney Doug Valeska on Tuesday morning.

“He’s been in jail about a year and five months. The judge issued an order releasing him,” Wadsworth said. “There is currently a hold on him from Jefferson County. It’s a failure to appear up there, but he was down here in jail.”

Daniel had been held for more than a year at the Houston County Jail on $500,000 bail. Dothan police investigators arrested Daniel on Jan. 24, 2012. He was scheduled for trial this week on the murder charge.

Police charged Daniel with shooting 26-year-old Anthony Jerome Robinson to death outside a nightclub located on East Powell Street called Primetime.

Valeska said law enforcement will continue to investigate the murder.

“I’m looking for more evidence, and more witnesses in the case,” Valeska said.

Wadsworth said he went to the Houston County Jail on Tuesday morning with the intention of telling his client he was a free man. But Wadsworth said he discovered the hold placed on him from Jefferson County.

Wadsworth said his client had a pending breaking and entering of a motor vehicle charge that he was out on bond for when he was charged in the murder case in Dothan.

“I don’t expect him to be in there long,” Wadsworth said of his client. “He was thrilled, and justice was served in this matter for him. It’s a victory for not only our client, but our firm.”

Wadsworth serves as an attorney with the Jacoby & Meyers law firm. He said as the district attorney asked the court for the dismissal he said prosecutors would likely put it before a Houston County grand jury for further review at a later date.“We just felt we had a rock solid case,” Wadsworth said. “Our client’s contention the entire time was he did not shoot anybody, he did not fire a gun or even have a gun.”Wadsworth said they planned to put eye witness testimony before the jury of people who saw his client defending himself in a fight outside the club with no weapon in his possession.Wadsworth said the defense team was ready for trial with assistance in preparing their case from CW Investigations, a local private investigation firm.Attorney Adam Jones, who served as co-counsel with Wadsworth, said Daniel was working security that night for the promotional company hired by the club.“I think he sat in jail for 15 months for nothing,” Jones said. “The case against this guy was just nonexistent. The state’s only witness told the police that Mr. Daniel could not have been the shooter. Two days later he comes back in and says I did see Mr. Daniel with a gun.”