Three Indicted in Brutal Murder and Kidnapping in Birmingham

Three individuals have been indicted for the gruesome murder of 43-year-old David Nicholas, who was brutally tortured and killed outside an east Birmingham home just two days before Christmas 2023.

On July 19, a Jefferson County grand jury issued indictments against Dustin Harry Stanfield, 43, of Hoover, Joshua Corey Guthrie, 33, of Fairfield, and Brittany Patterson, 34, of northern Jefferson County. These indictments were publicly disclosed this week.

The trio faces charges of capital murder in Nicholas’s death. Nicholas’s girlfriend, who was also subjected to horrific abuse and held against her will for nearly 12 hours after witnessing his death, was an ex-girlfriend of Stanfield. She was rescued by police in a Walmart parking lot in Leeds.

The suspects are also charged with kidnapping in connection to the girlfriend's abduction. They remain held without bond in the Jefferson County Jail.

Earlier this year, all three suspects appeared before a judge for a preliminary hearing. The prosecution is led by Jefferson County Deputy District Attorney Shawn Allen. Defense attorneys include Bret Gray for Stanfield, Chris Daniel for Guthrie, and Jeffery Dummier for Patterson.

Birmingham police homicide detective Nicholas Clark, the sole witness in the hearing, recounted a harrowing ordeal that could be mistaken for a crime drama.

On the night of December 23, at 11:58 p.m., Birmingham 911 received a call from a Lake Lane N.E. resident who reported hearing gunshots. The caller found Nicholas, hands bound and injured, in her carport. Despite her efforts, she was unable to remove his restraints. Nicholas, in his final moments, asked her to contact his estranged wife and confirmed to her over the phone that Stanfield had shot him and had his girlfriend.

Nicholas succumbed to his injuries at 12:53 a.m. He had been bound with black tape and a strap. Detective Clark detailed the events leading to the shooting.

Nicholas and his girlfriend were staying at a house next to the 911 caller's residence. That night, multiple people were at the house. When three of them returned from a store, Patterson announced, "We have a surprise for you inside."

Stanfield, armed, entered a bedroom where Nicholas’s girlfriend was sleeping. Another man, dozing in a chair, was forced by Patterson to strip and was then bound. A fourth person in the house was also bound.

Witnesses heard commotion from the bedroom. When Stanfield emerged with Nicholas’s girlfriend, she was naked and covered in a cleaning chemical.

Stanfield then forced Nicholas to kneel and bite a filing cabinet, while Patterson was instructed to kick him in the head and stab him. Witnesses heard Nicholas scream but did not see the stabbing.

Patterson then led Nicholas and his girlfriend outside to a car. Nicholas resisted being placed in the trunk and attempted to flee, prompting Stanfield to fire multiple shots, hitting Nicholas three times. An autopsy revealed Nicholas also had numerous cuts and bruises.

Nicholas’s girlfriend was already in the car. The other two men, being led to the car, escaped during the shooting. They told police they believed they would be killed if they got into the car.

Those who escaped fled the scene. Nicholas’s girlfriend was taken to a house where Patterson, Stanfield, and Guthrie were staying. She was told to shower, but the chemical burns prevented her from doing so. Stanfield attempted to get her to eat.

Police quickly obtained a description of the suspects' vehicle and issued a lookout. Hoover police detected the vehicle via a license plate reader, leading Leeds police to find it at Walmart Leeds. Guthrie and Nicholas’s girlfriend were inside; Guthrie was arrested, and Nicholas’s girlfriend was provided clothing by officers.

Stanfield was not initially found but was later arrested. Patterson was apprehended a week later in Woodlawn. Nicholas’s girlfriend, suffering from a concussion and other injuries, was treated at a hospital and later interviewed by investigators.

A trial date for the suspects has not yet been set.