Tuscumbia, 17, charged with capital murder

FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT) – A 17-year-old, charged with capital murder, has now been indicted by a Lauderdale County grand jury in connection with the shooting death of another teenager in Florence in 2021.

Tuscumbia resident Quearus Ashton Coffey has been charged as an adult in the shooting death of 19-year-old Miguel Adame at the Quail Run Apartments. His official charge reads as “capital murder with intentional act of murder in first degree robbery”.

Florence police arrived at the scene around 11:30 p.m. on August 20, 2021 and reportedly found Adame dead at the scene with multiple gunshot wounds.

It wasn’t long before the suspect, 15 at the time, was arrested and charged with capital murder in Adame’s death. He was taken to the Tennessee Valley Juvenile Detention Center.

A second teenager was arrested in July 2022 and charged with capital murder in connection with the Quail Run Apartment incident.

The indictment against Coffey says he caused Adame’s death while he was committing a robbery. The teenager is accused of taking marijuana and/or money from Adame using a firearm.

Coffey is charged as an adult under Alabama law which states that “a person who has attained the age of 16 years shall be charged, arrested and tried as [an] adult,” adding that the case should be removed from juvenile court if they have committed a capital crime, such as capital murder.

The teenager was also charged with receiving stolen goods in the second degree due to the fact that he allegedly took an AR-15 that Adame had in his possession.

Coffey has been moved from the juvenile facility to the Lauderdale County Detention Center – however, due to his age, he will not be placed with the general prison population.

Coffey is being held without bond.