Blount County man found guilty of attempted murder after shooting stepdaughter

BLOUNT COUNTY, Ala. ( WIAT ) — A man is now convicted after shooting a woman during a domestic dispute in Blount County two years ago.

Roger Dale Owens, 69, of East Lake was found guilty of attempted murder on Wednesday, according to 41st Judicial Circuit District Attorney Scott Gilliland.

On Feb. 6, 2022, the Blount County Sheriff’s Office responded to 143 Cedar Ridge Drive on calls that a woman had been shot. Deputies found a 40-year-old woman who was shot in the abdomen and lying inside a camper’s doorway. She identified Owens as the one who shot her before being airlifted to Huntsville Hospital.

During the trial, evidence showed that Owens and his wife got into an argument at the residence on the evening of the shooting. She decided to leave and called her daughter to pick her up. Owens said he would shoot anyone who came to get her, his wife testified, but she didn’t think he would do it.

The victim testified that once Owens let her inside the residence, he reached for a shotgun and shot her. Owens took the stand in his defense, claiming he intended to shoot the door to intimidate the women into leaving.

The jury deliberated for roughly thirty minutes before returning the guilty verdict.

“I am especially grateful that we were not prosecuting a murder case here today. Local emergency medical personnel responded to the scene quickly and provided our victim the highest level of care,” District Attorney Pamela Casey stated in a release. “I appreciate everyone who did what needed to be done to save the life of our victim and bring this defendant to justice: the 911 dispatchers, volunteer firefighters, EMS workers, law enforcement, medevac crew, and healthcare providers.”

Owens is being held in the Blount County Correctional Facility, awaiting sentencing.

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