Attorney General Luther Strange announced that the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday upheld the murder conviction of Vincent Lovelace Lowe.

Lowe, 43, of Evergreen, was convicted in May of 2015 for the murder of Albert Clyde Lee, of Highland Home.

A jury found Lowe guilty of the 2013 murder of Lee in May of 2015.

During the sentencing hearing, Crenshaw County’s District Attorney Charlotte Tesmer requested a life sentence for Lowe and Judge Thomas Sport heard from Lee’s family before he ruled.

“The family was pleased with the sentence,” Tesmer said.

“Police got a call a little after 2 p.m. and when they got there, they found Lee’s body. The defendant had left, and they eventually found him and the man riding with him.”

Evidence was presented at trial that on December 4, 2013, Lee and another man had finished installing a transmission in a vehicle when Lowe suddenly pulled up in his vehicle and started arguing with Lee.

Lee told Lowe to leave, but Lowe continued to argue.  Lee then walked away, and as he did, Lowe pulled out a revolver and shot Lee twice in the head, killing him.

The case was prosecuted at trial by Tesmer’s office.  Lowe was sentenced to life imprisonment for his murder conviction. He subsequently sought to have his conviction reversed on appeal.

The murder trial got off to a rocky start. Unsatisfied with his court-appointed attorney, Lowe interrupted proceedings to say he would represent himself.

The interruption came during Tesmer’s questioning of Lowe’s former roommate, an alleged witness of the shooting.

Lowe’s family members also reacted to the testimony. His mother and sister had to be removed from the courtroom and were charged with contempt of court, after failing to heed Sport’s warnings to remain quiet.

During the testimony of a forensic expert, Lowe asked his attorney to handle the questioning and chose not to represent himself during the rest of the trial.

Authorities say Lee was shot in the head after an alleged argument over drugs and money. He was killed near the intersection of Hwy. 97 and Upper Bozeman Road, which is near the Davenport community.

Lowe was charged with the murder Dec. 5, 2013.

During his trial, Lowe claimed the shooting was in self-defense.

The Attorney General’s Criminal Appeals Section handled the case during the appeals process, arguing for the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals to affirm the conviction. The Court did so in a decision issued on Friday, September 2.

Attorney General Strange commended Assistant Attorney General Madeline Lewis of the Attorney General’s Criminal Appeals Section for her successful work in this case.