Ala. Woman Charged in Arson, Murder of Husband

MOULTON — The wife of the man who died during a house fire last week in Trinity has been charged with capital murder, first-degree arson and second-degree arson.

The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Susie Ella Stovall, 59, became a suspect at the time of the fire because of a domestic disturbance call deputies received about 30 minutes before a blaze consumed a home she and her husband shared at 20359 Alabama 20 in the Trinity area of Lawrence County.

The body of Azrel “Gene” Stovall, 66, was discovered at 11 p.m. last Wednesday in the southwest bedroom of the home, the State Fire Marshal’s Office said. Lawrence County Coroner Greg Randolph said the department recovered Azrel Stovall’s remains at 1:27 a.m. Thursday.

Randolph said Tuesday afternoon he had not received an autopsy report from the state forensics lab in Huntsville to determine the cause of death.

Eric Stovall, the victim’s son, said he was informed Tuesday by the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office that gasoline was found on Susie Stovall’s clothes, shoes and in the home.

Sheriff Gene Mitchell and Capt. Tim McWhorter did not return phone calls seeking comment.

The Sheriff’s Office said in the statement Susie Stovall was not at the residence earlier that night when deputies investigated the domestic disturbance call, but Azrel Stovall was in the front yard. Azrel Stovall told deputies he felt everything was fine and he was going to bed, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Dispatchers received the call about a fire at the residence 15 minutes after deputies left Stovall’s home. Hillsboro Area Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jason Jones said both the home and a nearby camper trailer were ablaze when firefighters arrived on the scene. State Fire Marshal Ed Paulk said an investigation determined both fires were “incendiary in nature,” meaning they were intentionally started.

Eric Stovall, 42, and his brother Azriel Stovall, 40, said they didn’t suspect any troubles going on between Susie Stovall and their father. The two were married in 2013, according to Morgan County probate records. Azriel Stovall said he didn’t sense hostility when he came to Alabama from Indianapolis to visit family.

“They seemed relatively happy. So I took it as they were happy,” said Azriel Stovall, a former Decatur High football player who spells his first name differently from his father.

Susie Stovall was found in the front yard when deputies responded to the blaze, the Sheriff’s Office said. She was arrested at the scene for a failure to appear warrant that originated from a Sept. 3, 2014, incident. Susie Stovall is being held in Lawrence County Jail with no bail set, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Susie Stovall was charged with third-degree domestic violence in September 2014 after she allegedly shoved and threw an object at the victim, which led to a minor injury to Azrel Stovall’s middle finger, according to court records.

A complaint filed in Lawrence County District Court reported that Susie Stovall pushed her husband in self-defense because he allegedly shoved her first. The complaint said both Susie and Azrel Stovall were intoxicated at the time. Susie Stovall was released from Lawrence County Jail three days later on $1,000 bail, but a warrant was issued in May when she didn’t show up to court.

Eric Stovall said his father took medication because of injuries caused by a car accident. He said the pills put him in a deep sleep, which he suspected prevented his father from reacting to the fire.

Eric and Azriel Stovall describe their father as somebody who liked to socialize. While on his United Parcel Service route in Decatur, he made an effort to make people smile by making jokes and asking about their day. When injuries prevented him from working, Azrel Stovall kept himself busy by helping his brother on the family farm.

Their father did have a strict side, the sons said. When Eric Stovall was asked to mow the yard, his father took no excuses. When Azriel Stovall was asked to pull weeds in the quarter-acre garden every day after school, Azriel asked no questions.

“There was no excuse why you didn’t do something,” Eric Stovall said. “If the lawn mower broke, you fixed it. The last thing you did was tell Daddy you can’t cut the grass.”

Both sons credit their father with instilling in them a strong sense of responsibility and work ethic. Basic training was easier for Eric Stovall when he joined the Army in 1992, he said, because his father instilled a military spirit in his sons. Azriel Stovall powered through four years of football practices at Decatur High and Jacksonville State University.

“He would go through life’s basics. Just teaching us discipline and hard work and what hard work would actually do,” Azriel Stovall said. “Don’t be afraid of hard work because everything is not going to be handed to you.”

News of Azrel Stovall’s death surprised the brothers. Azriel said he talked to his father over the phone just hours before the fire to plan a holiday visit.

Eric Stovall said his father brought laughter and joy to those around him. Now, Eric Stovall wrapped his own emotions in one word.

“Numbness,” he said. “Someone was taken before their time. It’s not necessarily an empty spot. It’s just numbness because you have to comprehend it all.”

Reynolds Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.

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