HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) – An Alabama police officer is still getting paid two months after being convicted of murder.
Huntsville official William Ben Darby was stripped of his law enforcement certificate after a jury found him guilty on May 7 of murdering Jeff Parker, a man who told police he was suicidal. Darby is bailed while awaiting sentencing in Madison County Circuit Court on August 20.
Documents obtained through an open file request show that Darby continues to be employed by the police force and has paid about $ 2,100 before tax every two weeks since his conviction, AL.com reported Thursday.
The records show that Darby has been on paid sick leave since his conviction under the Family and Medical Leave Act, the federal law requiring employers to give employees extended leave for medical or family reasons.
In an email sent to Huntsville police officers from the address of Police Chief Mark McMurray on May 20, officers were asked to donate unused vacation time to an unnamed employee. City officials declined to say if the request was made for Darby. McMurray denied sending the email, saying his secretary may have sent it on behalf of the city’s human resources department.
“I would never send an email asking for donations from my office,” said McMurray.
The Huntsville Police Department and Huntsville City Council have supported Darby since the deadly shooting. An internal police review body released the officer. And the city council voted to pay for Darby’s criminal defense with public money.
Following Darby’s conviction, McMurray and Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle issued statements challenging the jury’s verdict.
In 2018, officials were sent to Parker’s home after he called 911 and said he was suicidal and had a gun. Two officers found Parker, who was white, sitting on a couch with a gun to his head upon arrival, according to evidence presented at Darby’s trial.
One officer told the jury she was speaking to Parker, 49, when Darby entered the house, ordered Parker to drop his gun and shot him dead within seconds.
Prosecutors argued that Darby had no valid reason to open fire. Darby testified that he shot Parker to defend himself and other police officers because he feared Parker might shoot them. The weapon Parker had later turned out to be a flare pistol.
According to the prosecutor, Darby faces a life sentence of 20 years.
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