Davon "Shorty" Waldrep
'Good Samaritan' murder in Elmore now a capital case
By Marty Roney
Montgomery Advertiser
WETUMPKA — Charges against an Elmore County man accused of stabbing and killing a Good Samaritan who stopped to render aid at what he thought was a car accident have been upgraded to capital murder.
The most recent session of the grand jury has indicted Ronald Jason Mann, 32, of Elmore County, on capital murder charges. The panel wrapped up deliberations Friday. Mann is currently in the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections on unrelated charges, said Sheriff Bill Franklin.
Mann is charged in the death of Davon Waldrep, 47, of Elmore County. Waldrep came to Mann’s aid in September after he thought Mann was involved in a car accident, the sheriff said.
The incident began at about 8 a.m. Sept. 2 in the Holtville area. Deputies arrested Mann following a massive search that included prison system tracking dogs, Franklin said. He was initially charged with two counts of robbery and one count of attempted murder.
The death penalty is on the table, said C.J. Robinson, chief assistant district attorney. The only other sentencing option in a capital murder conviction is life in prison without the possibility of parole. Capital murder charges were brought because Waldrep was killed during a robbery, Robinson said.
Also arrested was Troy Carter, 16, of Elmore County. Carter was originally charged as an adult with two counts of robbery, Franklin said. The same grand jury that indicted Mann on capital murder charges has handed down a murder indictment against Carter, records show. Carter was in the Elmore County Jail on Thursday under bonds totaling $750,000.
Mann and the Carter allegedly went to a home in the 600 block of Holtville Road in September and forced a man and woman they knew to travel with them to a nearby convenience store, Franklin said. Mann and the teenager then allegedly forced the man and woman to withdraw money from the store’s ATM machine, he said.
As Mann was driving away from the store, he struck a sign at a nearby railroad crossing, which disabled his vehicle.
“That’s where the Good Samaritan came in,” Franklin said then. “This man just thought somebody had a wreck and he stopped to help. He asked if he could call someone. That’s when Mann said he wanted the Good Samaritan’s cell phone. Well, he wouldn’t give Mann his phone, and turned to walk away.
“That’s when Mann stabbed him several times with a seven-inch knife.”
Mann and the Carter then fled into the woods. A search was conducted for several hours and Mann and the teen were captured near Coosada Road, the sheriff said.
Waldrep died several weeks later in a Montgomery hospital having never recovered from his wounds.
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