Billy Terrell Adams murder of Charles Cunningham

Billy Terrell Adams shot and killed Charles “Chucky” Cunningham, 31, in Searcy, Arkansas, in June 2007, after the two men fought outside Adams’s home.

Trial evidence showed Adams and Cunningham engaged in a physical altercation in the front yard of Adams’s residence. After the fight ended, Cunningham got into his vehicle. Adams briefly spoke with him through the car window, then went inside the house.

Moments later, Adams came back outside carrying a shotgun. From the front porch, he fired at Cunningham’s vehicle as Cunningham began driving away.

Cunningham managed to travel several blocks before crashing into a utility pole. A medical examiner later determined he died from gunshot wounds sustained during the shooting.

Witness testimony at trial described the fight and events that followed. Adams’s uncle, Anthony Turner, testified he saw Cunningham on top of Adams during the altercation, beating him while Adams was on the ground. Turner said he did not see who struck the first blow. Other witnesses testified about Cunningham’s reputation and about arriving at the crash scene after the shooting.

Adams argued the shooting was justified and raised a defense that he could not conform his conduct to the law because of mental disease or defect. The jury rejected both defenses.

In August 2008, a White County jury found Adams guilty of capital murder. Circuit Judge Robert Edwards sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty.

Adams appealed the conviction, raising several issues, including a challenge related to jury polling. The Arkansas Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and sentence in Adams v. State (2009).

Adams is currently incarcerated in the East Arkansas Regional Unit in Brickeys. He is serving life without parole. Correctional records reflect numerous disciplinary violations, including drug contraband infractions, during his incarceration. This is his seventh incarceration, with previous sentences related to drug, battery and weapons dating back to 1993.