Brian Lansing Martin was sentenced to death Monday for killing Sheffield Police Sgt. Nick Risner, whose death prompted Alabama lawmakers to restrict early-release credits for inmates convicted of killing someone with a deadly weapon.
A Colbert County judge formally imposed the sentence Oct. 26, following a jury’s unanimous recommendation in September, WAFF reported.
“Today’s sentence represents justice and accountability for the murder of Sergeant Nick Risner,” Colbert County District Attorney Hal Hughston said in a statement quoted by the station.
Risner was shot during a police pursuit Oct. 1, 2021, and died the following morning at Huntsville Hospital. He was 40, a K-9 handler and a nine-year veteran of the Sheffield Police Department.
Police were pursuing Martin in connection with the shooting death of his former roommate, William Mealback Jr., whose body was found on Avalon Avenue in Muscle Shoals.
During Martin’s trial, jurors saw dashcam footage showing him firing five shots toward Risner’s vehicle. Multiple witnesses also testified that they saw Martin shooting at the officer.
Martin’s defense centered on his mental health. He testified that he believed people had been following him and intended to harm him, and said he did not remember much of the pursuit. Prosecutors challenged his account.
The jury convicted Martin in September before unanimously recommending the death penalty.
The case also brought renewed attention to Martin’s previous conviction and the amount of time he served in prison.
As Yellowhammer News previously reported, Martin pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 2011 death of his father and received a 10-year sentence. He was released in 2016 after serving just over three years.
After Risner’s death, lawmakers moved to prevent inmates convicted of crimes causing another person’s death with a deadly weapon from receiving correctional incentive time, commonly called “good time.”
Gov. Kay Ivey signed the Sergeant Nick Risner Act in April 2022. State Rep. Phillip Pettus (R-Killen) sponsored the legislation, HB143.
“Sergeant Risner’s killer should have never been released from prison in the first place,” Ivey said when she signed the law.
The measure made inmates convicted of those crimes ineligible to earn the credits that can shorten their time behind bars.
“All this bill says is that if you kill somebody you do not get the good time,” Pettus said.
Martin still faces a separate trial in Mealback’s death.
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
