District Attorney: Murder suspect’s probation revoked

Published 11:00 am Monday, March 11, 2024

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Emmett I. Sigers, 20, of Andalusia, currently sits in the Covington County Jail on multiple charges and is charged with murder for his involvement in the Dec. 9, 2023, shooting death of Cammeon Franklin.

Sigers is also incarcerated and awaiting transport to the Department of Corrections because, prior to the Dec. 9, 2023 event, Sigers had been previously incarcerated on what is known as a split sentence in a different case. He was ordered to serve one year in prison and then serve five years on probation. Due to this new arrest, his probation has been revoked.

“If someone is on a split sentence form of probation and they commit a new crime, we are going to work to revoke that probation. That’s what we did in this case,” District Attorney Walt Merrell said.

Circuit Court Judge Charles “Lex” Short presided over Sigers’ probation revocation.

“I appreciate Judge Short revoking Sigers’ probation and ordering him to prison. I think too many people have the idea that probation ought to be some mechanism by which they can skate by. On the contrary, I think probation is an opportunity for them to prove themselves. If they don’t, they will be incarcerated,” Merrell added.

Sigers pled guilty to the crime of domestic violence in 2022 and was ordered to serve a 10-year sentence. By agreement of the parties, that sentence was “split,” and he would be required to serve one full calendar year in the Department of Corrections. At the end of the sentence, he would be released and was to be placed on supervised probation for a period of five years. During the course of his probation, Sigers was to complete anger management classes, perform community service, report monthly to his probation officer, be subjected to random drug testing, and pay all of his court costs.

“Among other things, he could not violate the law either. He did, so now, he goes back to serve that 10-year sentence,” Merrell said.

Court documents show that Sigers was arrested on Dec. 12, 2023, by the Covington County Sheriff’s Office for his involvement in the shooting death of Franklin. Documents suggest that Sigers and others pursued the vehicle Franklin was a passenger in across Andalusia and ultimately led to Sigers shooting from one vehicle into the other. One of the bullets struck Franklin, who died a few days later.

“I knew Cammeon,” Merrell said. “My daughter went to school with him. He was a good kid and could have done whatever he wanted to do in life. He won’t get that chance now. And that is a tragedy.”

Sigers’ murder case is pending presentment to the Covington County Grand Jury. Merrell expects it will be presented in June of this year and hopes to get it to trial in early 2025.

Merrell added that Sigers faces a sentence of life in prison if he is convicted.

“That’s what we will ask the judge to sentence him to,” Merrell said.