Former Ala. corrections officer charged with failing to act as inmate allegedly stabbed another to death

By Carol Robinson
al.com

BESSEMER, Ala. — A former state prison officer is one of two men charged in connection with the 2025 stabbing death of an inmate at William Donaldson Correctional Facility.

Melvin Ledarrius Thomas, 35, of Birmingham, is charged with manslaughter and failure of duty or violation of law by a guard in connection with the death of 45-year-old Antwion Webb.

David Ja Mal Coleman Jr ., 32, of Montgomery, is charged with two counts of capital murder.

The charges against Coleman are capital because he was already serving a life sentence for a capital murder conviction in Montgomery.

Webb was critically injured when he was stabbed at 11:59 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. He was pronounced dead at 4:36 a.m. that Saturday.

Charging documents accuse Coleman of stabbing Webb in the chest.

Thomas, according to his indictment, caused Webb’s death by “recklessly introducing the injured victim back into the prison’s general population after having knowledge that the victim suffered a stab wound and/or refused to provide medical care to the victim under his duty as a corrections officer, therefore causing and/or contributing to the victim’s death.”

Thomas was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on Aug. 26 and released the same day after posting $20,000 bond.

Thomas’s employment with ADOC ended on Sept. 20, 2025.

Coleman was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on Aug. 31 and remains held without bond.

Coleman was convicted in August 2022 of capital murder in the 2018 shooting death of Terry Rodrquez Tallie.

That shooting happened about 5:45 p.m. on Oct. 3, 2018, on Lucas Drive in Montgomery.

He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Coleman is set to be arraigned on the new charge in late October.

Thomas’s arraignment date has not yet been announced.

Webb was charged in 2001 with capital murder during a robbery in Jefferson County. In 2002, he pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in prison.

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