Three of the four young suspects facing murder charges following last week's shooting at a Birmingham apartment building have been denied bail by a judge who deemed them too dangerous to be released, a shooting that was broadcast live on Facebook.
But the three lawyers argued that their clients fired in self-defense, that family members of the slain mother, Asia Pool, had fired first and that the ensuing gunfight – which involved at least 168 rounds from multiple guns – was retaliation, not an attack.
Akoleya Denae Woods, 20, Justin Jammond “June Bug” Hendrix, 20, Taylor “Paper Route Tay” McLeod, 22, and a 17-year-old male have been charged with murder in Poole's death.
They also are charged with the attempted murder of Poole's best friend, Damarion Rankins, who was shot in the hip and wounded.
Janiya Hendrix, 19, who was fighting with Poole before the shots rang out, was charged with first-degree motor vehicle theft after allegedly fleeing the chaotic scene in the town of Poole.
Janiyah Hendricks and Justin Hendricks, siblings, were taken into custody at their maternal grandparents' home after their father was shot and killed in 2022 when he stopped at an ATM in Homewood on his way home from church.
McCloud was arrested after being stopped by Mountain Brook Police, during which illegal drugs were found in the suspect's vehicle.
Woods was booked into jail on Tuesday and the juvenile was booked into jail on Wednesday.
Poole, the mother of a young daughter, died from a single gunshot wound to the back, according to testimony at an Anya Law bail hearing Wednesday before Jefferson County District Judge Kechia Davis. The father of Poole's 4-year-old daughter had died several weeks before Poole was killed.
At the end of the hearing, the judge said there was no combination of release conditions that would ensure the suspects would return to court or protect the safety of the community and surviving victims. The judge noted that all three suspects were out on bail for previous criminal convictions.
“I believe the community has an absolute right to feel safe in their own home,” Judge Davis said, ordering the three remain held without bail.
A bail hearing has yet to be held for the fourth suspect, a 17-year-old boy.
The shooting happened around 10 p.m. on August 20th at Monarch Ridge Apartments.
Acquaintances of Poole said there was an ongoing dispute between her and Janiya Hendrix over a man.
The fight between Poole and Janiya Hendrix began near Poole's car in the parking lot, the two eventually separated, and then began again in the hallway of the building where Poole lived.
The brawl and subsequent shootout was captured on Facebook Live video, and surveillance cameras in various hallways of the large apartment complex also captured some of the chaos that night and were retrieved by the Metro Area Crime Center.
Jefferson County Deputy District Attorneys Diana Ellis and Taiella Henderson are prosecuting the case.
Justin Hendricks was represented in court Wednesday by attorney Scott Boudreau, Woods was represented by Darryl Bender and Lucky Milad, and McLeod was represented by Roland Rankin.
Birmingham Homicide Detective John Finke was the only witness at the Anya's Law hearing.
Finke testified that when he arrived at the scene on the Monarch Ridge that night, “there were shell casings everywhere” and Poole was found dead in the boat's hallway.
Finke said he first learned nicknames of those involved and then identified them by their real names, and with the help of witnesses and surviving victims, he was able to identify the people seen in the video.
Finke said Justin Hendricks was seen in the video wearing a black hoodie and a black ski mask and carrying two guns, a Draco and an AR-15 pistol.
McLeod was reportedly dressed in all black and had a gun.
Woods was wearing denim shorts and a brown shirt, had a Draco with an extended magazine, and, at one point, was also wearing a ski mask, detectives said.
Finke testified that the video showed a shirtless 17-year-old suspect firing the first shot into the hallway as Janiya Hendrix fled the scene in Poole's vehicle.
The footage also showed Woods, McCloud and Justin Hendricks firing their guns, with all four firing into the hallway, Finke said.
“They were all firing in the direction that the victim was killed,” Finke testified.
Justin Hendricks told detectives he was high and didn't remember much of what happened that night. “He said he heard gunshots, turned around and started shooting,” Finke said.
Finke said the video did not show anyone firing shots from the ventilated hallway and no shell casings were found there.
One Facebook Live video, taken from a cellphone that was dropped in the hallway after the shooting began, captured the barrage of gunfire that continued for several minutes.
The phone also contained a recording of Poole's brother crying out in despair: “Call the police. My sister is dying out here.”
The defense argues that the audio recording clearly shows that the first shot was fired near a cellphone, not from the parking lot.
“We hear you loud and clear,” Bender said.
Finke disagreed.
“When (the 17-year-old) makes a shot, it seems like it makes everybody else make a shot,” Finke said. “They were making shots and running.”
Evidence investigators found evidence that at least four different guns had been fired. Police also said that after the four suspects opened fire, at least two of them returned fire.
The shooting also damaged several vehicles and an apartment building.
Investigators have not yet determined the caliber of the bullet that killed Poole, he said.
On cross-examination, Finke testified that Poole's brother also possessed a long gun.
Bender said his client, Woods, has a gun license and fired the gun in self-defense while trying to stop a fight.
“From what we've heard, one shot was fired from the drafty hallway and all subsequent shots were fired in response,” Bender said during closing arguments on the bond issue. “If that first shot hadn't been fired, none of the shots would have been fired.”
“The gun fires without any shells ejecting,” Bender said, confirming his theory that someone in the ventilated hallway fired first.
Rankin said his client, McLeod, also tried to break up the fight and only brandished a gun after the first shots were fired.
“I think he was running away from the first shot,” Rankin said.
Boudreau also argued for Justin Hendricks' bail amount.
“The fact that four people are being charged with the same crime shows that we have no idea what happened,” he said. “If ballistic (testing) were to resume, the scope would narrow significantly.”
The lawyers said murder is a bailable offence and the high profile nature of Poole's killing should not affect the judge's sentence.
“This case has been getting so much attention. It's like a baby murder case,” Boudreau said. “There's no way all four defendants will be found guilty in this case.”
Judge Davis disagreed and said indeed all four could be found guilty of murder.
Prosecutor Ellis argued that the suspects should be denied bail, and his argument was granted.
“The violence of the attack is evident from the number of gunshots fired,” she said.
She also acknowledged Poole's murder was a high-profile case and said it should have been widely covered in the news.
“Yes, the public has a very real interest in not having their home shot up,” she said.
