DADEVILLE, Ala. — A man from Alabama has been sentenced to death following his conviction for the murders of four individuals within a 48-hour period in 2020. Derrick Hightower, 36, received the death penalty on Thursday from Tallapoosa County Circuit Court Judge William Whorton for the tragic deaths of Barbara Tidwell, 65, and her husband Willie Tidwell, 61, during a robbery at their residence in Dadeville on April 17, 2020.
Hightower was found guilty in December of four counts of capital murder as well as one count of theft in relation to the Tidwell case. Attempts to reach Hightower’s attorneys for comments were unsuccessful on Friday morning.
In addition to the Tidwell murders, Hightower is charged with the slaying of Nancy Nash, 54, at a landscaping company in Auburn. After killing Nash, it is alleged that he stole her vehicle and drove approximately 30 miles to the Tidwells’ home. Indictments regarding Nash’s murder were issued by a grand jury in 2021, which included two counts of capital murder alongside burglary, but a trial date has yet to be established.
Another suspect, Kentrice Hill, 24, was reportedly with Hightower during the crime against Nash and also faces capital murder charges. Hill’s next court appearance is scheduled for January 15. Attempts to reach Hill’s legal representatives for comments were also not successful.
Hightower’s rampage continued until April 18, when he shot and killed Antoine Harris, 36, during another robbery at Harris’s home in East Birmingham, thus concluding the two-day crime spree that stretched nearly 100 miles across the state. After the murder of Harris, Hightower fled in Harris’ vehicle following a brief abandon of Nash’s pickup truck at a nearby hotel.
During a court hearing in 2023 related to Harris’ death, Hightower publicly expressed remorse, stating, “I want to issue a formal apology to the family.” Following his conviction for Harris’s murder, a Jefferson County judge imposed a life sentence without the possibility of parole, along with an additional 20 years for attempting to shoot an officer during his arrest.