Man sentenced in murder of fellow Alabama State University student

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WAKA) – A man who pled guilty to the shooting death of a fellow Alabama State University student will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Montgomery County District Attorney Azzie Oliver says Ivry Hall will serve life in prison for fatally shooting Adam Dowdell in 2020.

Hall was sentenced Monday by Judge Brook Reid.

According to case evidence, Hall and Dowdell were last seen leaving campus together on September 8, 2020.

Concerned that she had not been able to reach her son, Dowdell’s mother reported him missing a few days later, which prompted the ASU Department of Public Safety
to initiate an investigation.

Soon thereafter, Montgomery Police investigators received a call from the Chicago Police Department with details about Dowdell’s disappearance. Detectives said Hall, a native of
Chicago, had fled to his hometown and told a clergyman what happened to his classmate.

Based on that lead, on September 14, 2020, MPD officers were able to locate Dowdell’s body in the area of Hutchison and Ripley streets – less than a quarter mile from campus. An autopsy report determined that Dowdell’s death was caused by a gunshot wound to the back of the head.

District Attorney Azzie Oliver released the following statement:

“This is a heartbreaking tragedy that has forever altered the lives of so many. Two young men, both with bright futures and limitless potential, have now lost the opportunity to fulfill their promise—one through a senseless act of violence, and the other through the consequences of that irreversible decision. While the defendant has accepted responsibility by pleading guilty, no outcome can restore what has been taken. It is my sincere hope that today’s sentence brings a measure of closure and peace to Adam “Belle” Dowdell’s loved ones.”

Click here for more from WAKA.