5 men plead guilty in 'Sweet 16' mass shooting that left 4 dead

Marty Roney, USA TODAY Fri, March 27, 2026 at 7:02 PM UTC

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ALEXANDER CITY, AL − Five of the six men charged in a 2023 mass shooting that left four dead and dozens injured entered guilty pleas March 27.

Each pleaded guilty to three counts of reckless murder and 25 counts of assault. While the charges could have meant decades of prison time, the men were sentenced to five years total behind bars, with credit for time served so far. They could be released in about two years. They were also given 15 years of supervised probation.

Brothers Tyreese "Ty Reik" McCullough, 20, and Travis McCullough, 19, of Tuskegee; Wilson LaMar Hill Jr., 23, of Auburn; Willie George Brown Jr., 22, of Auburn; Sherman Peters, 18 of Tuskegee were sentenced on the pleas. Only Tyreese McCullough addressed the court when given a chance saying he was "very sorry," for what happened.

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A sign in front of Dadeville City Hall reads "We Are Brokenhearted" with the makeshift memorial at the fatal shooting scene in the background in Dadeville, Ala., on Wednesday April 19, 2023.

Johnny Letron Brown, 23, of Tuskegee received youthful offender status in the case, court records show, and his records are sealed. He will spend a maximum of three years in prison for violating the youthful offender statute.

Many of the family members of the victims protested the sentences in comments to the court, saying the time did not match the nature of the crime. District Attorney Mike Segrest told the court the pleas allowed for justice to be applied evenly and provided the best outcome in the case.

The shooting happened April 15, 2023, at Mahogany Masterpiece Dance Studio on Broadnax Street in Dadeville during a Sweet 16 birthday party for Alexis Dowdell. It was a small building packed with dozens of people at the time of the shooting.

The shooting started at about 10:30 p.m., and almost 100 rounds were fired into the packed room. Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, 18; Shaunkivia Nicole “Keke” Smith, 17; Marsiah Emmanuel “Siah” Collins, 19; and Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23, were killed. Twenty five other people were injured, some critically.

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The murder charge for Holston was dropped as part of the plea deals. Evidence at trial would have showed that Holston was called to come to the party because there were people there with guns, Segrest said. He arrived wearing a ski mask and carrying a 9mm handgun with an extended magazine, Segrest said. The six men charged and Holston exchanged gunfire, Segrest said. The evidence doesn’t show who fired first, the prosecutor said.

Family members of the victims spoke for about two hours before Perryman handed down the sentences. The packed courtroom was hushed, with stifled sobs heard occasionally.

Alexis Dowdell spoke about her brother Phil, who died protecting her, family members said at the time of the shooting.

“I had to watch the closest person to me take his last breath,” she said. “He didn’t get a chance to graduate, go to college. See me get my first car. I always thought I wasn’t supposed to live my life without my brother. I love you dearly.”

Shirley Jones, Collins’ mother, gave an emotional statement.

“My son was only 19-years old when he life was taken,” she said. “He played football and ran track I knew when he was on the field you didn’t have to tell me. I was there to cheer him on. My son was building a future and y’all took that away from him.”

She wrapped up her statement saying she wished the defendants would "rot in hell.”

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 5 men plead guilty in 'Sweet 16' mass shooting in Alabama

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