CULLMAN, Ala. – Tyler Dwight Dooley, 32, of Arab, was sentenced Wednesday, June 17, to two consecutive 99-year prison terms for the Aug. 15, 2020, deaths of Levi Benjamin Lawrence, 24, of Cullman, and Dalton Matthew Bannister, 36, of Blountsville.
Circuit Court Judge Emily Johnston sentenced Dooley to 99 years for each death, with the sentences to run consecutively, according to Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker. The sentence comes after a Cullman County jury convicted Dooley May 11 of two counts of felony murder.
“Tyler Dooley did everything to avoid accountability,” Crocker said. “He ran from the law after this crime happened. He escaped from the Cullman County jail while awaiting trial. And during the trial, he laughed and smirked like this was all some kind of joke. Justice was done with these guilty verdicts last month, and again today at sentencing.”
Crocker also thanked the families of Lawrence and Bannister.
“I appreciate the family members who sat through this trial and who spoke at the sentencing hearing,” Crocker said. “They are carrying a burden no one should have to bear, but I hope this result eases their pain.”
The case stems from an Aug. 15, 2020, shooting in the New Canaan community in northeast Cullman County.
The Cullman County Sheriff’s Office said at the time that a call was transferred from Blount County 911 to Cullman County dispatchers at approximately 1:30 a.m. regarding a possible shooting near a residence along County Road 1854.
Deputies with the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Arab Police Department responded to the scene and found two people dead and one person seriously injured.
Cullman County Coroner Jeremy L. Kilpatrick identified the men killed as Lawrence, 24, of Cullman, and Bannister, 36, of Blountsville. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Initial information released by the sheriff’s office indicated the shooting followed an altercation involving multiple people. Authorities later connected the case to a robbery.
In 2020, Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry said Lawrence was the victim in the case and said Bannister was one of the offenders.
“Mr. Lawrence was the victim in this case,” Gentry said at the time. “Mr. Bannister, that is deceased, is the offender.”
Gentry said investigators determined Lawrence had gone to the residence after receiving a message from one of the people later arrested in the case.
“As we were investigating, putting the pieces of the puzzle together, this is what we determined,” Gentry said in 2020. “Mr. Lawrence had received a message from one of the offenders that we’ve arrested about hanging out at this residence (in New Canaan). So, Mr. Lawrence is there talking to his friend, Mr. Drane, at the residence belonging to another offender that we’ve arrested; his name is Ricky Martin. Mr. Martin is known to associate with people that are not the best. At this point, later on in the night, Mr. Dooley, Bannister and the female arrived at the residence…Mr. Lawrence realized that these people are not who you want to be around. Mr. Lawrence told them that he was going to leave. As Mr. Lawrence attempted to leave, Bannister and Dooley had predetermined that they were going to rob Lawrence of his possessions. These individuals are known throughout those communities to do those of kind of things.”
Gentry said Lawrence was confronted as he tried to leave.
“As Mr. Lawrence attempts to leave, he’s confronted by an armed suspect, Bannister, at which time Mr. Lawrence was also armed and an altercation occurs and there is rounds that are exchanged,” Gentry said. “After the gunfight, Dooley flees the scene, leaving Bannister and the female on the ground.”
The Tribune previously reported that Samantha Star Robertson, 25 of Cleveland, Alabama, who was hospitalized after the shooting, was later identified as the female who was shot. She was charged in September 2020 and later indicted in April 2026.
Dooley and Robertson were indicted April 13, 2026, on two counts of murder in connection with the deaths of Lawrence and Bannister. A third defendant, Jacob Andrew Drane, 27, of Cullman, pleaded guilty Feb. 13, 2026, to two counts of manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years on each count, to be served consecutively.
Dooley was convicted May 11 following a jury trial.
Crocker said Cullman County Sheriff’s Office investigators were instrumental in the case.
“The Cullman Sheriff investigators did an outstanding job making this case,” Crocker said. “Their dedication and hard work are the reason we are here.”
Previous Tribune coverage
Tyler Dooley convicted of felony murder in 2020 New Canaan double homicide:
2 indicted in connection with 2020 Cullman County double homicide; 1 pleads guilty: www.cullmantribune.com/2026/04/16/2-indicted-in-connection-with-2020-cullman-county-double-homicide-1-pleads-guilty
3rd person now charged with murder in New Canaan shooting death: www.cullmantribune.com/2020/09/08/3rd-person-now-charged-with-murder-in-new-canaan-shooting-death
2nd man now charged with murder in New Canaan shooting death: www.cullmantribune.com/2020/08/20/2nd-man-now-charged-with-murder-in-new-canaan-shooting-death
2 dead, 1 injured in shooting in Cullman County: www.cullmantribune.com/2020/08/15/2-dead-1-injured-in-shooting-in-cullman-county
