Special: Billy Underwood's Statement on Reaves Toddler Manslaughter Suit

We are publishing the statement of Billy Underwood below. Mr. Underwood is the attorney representing a young husband and father accused of manslaughter in the death of a Colbert County toddler.

However, we first wish to amend our blog from yesterday. The Whitfields do indeed have a young son. We’ve received conflicting reports on whether or not the child is walking. If the child is walking, we firmly believe DHR should pay the Whitfields a visit. That does not mean we feel they were responsible for the death of the Reaves toddler. We are not Hillary Clinton who thinks it takes a village to raise a child. If there should be any other mistake in yesterday’s blog, please inform us and we will amend it.

A few points on the reaction to yesterday’s blog:

* We do not publish comments with vulgarities. It doesn’t speak well of you, your argument, or your morals when you make such comments.

* We had to delete one comment for language which had basically stated the county had every right to tell citizens what they could or couldn’t do with their guns in their own homes. Referring to homes with adults only present, we fail to see any basis for such a specious statement. Remember, if they can tell you where you can or can’t keep guns in your home, they can also tell you not to keep guns at all. (We never thought the day would come when we would make such a pro-gun statement, but we never thought that any local government would sue an innocent couple for manslaughter.)

* We also had comments that government operations are none of our business. Really? All who blog here pay taxes; that makes any government action our business. In fact, our most pro-gun blogger lives in Colbert County and we’re waiting on his statement for publication.

* Comments about attorneys for the Whitfields being ambulance chasers? Are there any out there so obtuse that they feel this young couple doesn’t deserve a defense? Remember, it was the county/state that brought this lawsuit, not the innocent victims. Yet to answer our own question, we know there are some out there who know as much about the legal system as we know about quantum physics…or even less.

* Finally, for those upset that our blog even mentioned the death of the Reaves toddler, remember we never once commented on this situation until Bryce Graham brought charges against the Whitfields. Nor would we have. We have sympathy for the family, but our logic or common sense hasn’t flown out the window simply because a child killed himself. It’s interesting, but hardly surprising, that the only ones damning the Whitfields or supporting Ashley Reaves are friends of the Reaves family.

Now here is Mr. Underwood’s statement:

STATEMENT OF ATTORNEY BILLY UNDERWOOD (AUGUST 12, 2016)

"I am absolutely floored that William Whitfield has been charged with the crime of manslaughter, which is a 10-20 year sentence by the State of Alabama. During the past two months, Mr. Whitfield’s vehicles in his front yard had been broken into twice and the neighbor who lived behind him had also had their house broken into. Whitfield, for the past months, has left a firearm on the night stand in his bedroom; the most sacred of rooms in a house and one you would want to readily defend against an intruder. Almost thirty days ago, Whitfield left to go to work in the morning at 6:00 and a tragic accident occurred in his house. He was not home, yet he has been charged with a 10-20 year imprisonment crime because a child, who he did not know would be in his bedroom standing next to his mother who was talking on the phone, shot and killed himself. 

This will be a classic clash of Second Amendment rights, the right to privacy in your house, and whether or not a gun owner can be held accountable for an accident when he is not home. This is such a rush to judgment and people’s emotions are still high from this horrific accident. This case will definitely have to go before a jury and hopefully the Second Amendment rights of the citizens of Colbert County will be upheld. Otherwise, all weapons in this county need to be well-hidden and not within reach if someone breaks into your home."