Nearly 13 years after 45-year-old real estate agent Angel Downs died in high profile on Gulf Shores, Oxygen’s true crime show Accident, Suicide or Murder featured her story.
Downes was found shot dead in his driveway on May 9, 2010. Gulf he was dealt with by Shores Police, who determined that Downes had a gunshot wound to the right side of his head. A pistol was found near her body.
Theories as to how she died swirled in South Alabama. Postmortem toxicology results revealed that she had several substances in her body.
Downes’ married boyfriend, Mobile County Commissioner Stephen Nodine, was quickly identified as a person of interest. Neighbors reported seeing a truck matching Nodine’s description of the truck leaving the Downes home after hearing gunshots. Downes’ family also spoke out, stating that they believed Nodin killed her, but had no physical evidence linking him to the scene. came to the house and said he had gotten a wallet that he had accidentally left there earlier. I left several places including the parking lot of the restaurant where I changed my clothes.
When Nodine’s truck was seized by investigators, they found marijuana in the truck and he was charged with ethics violations.
The Baldwin County District Attorney’s Office determined at the time that there was sufficient evidence to charge Nodine with murder. A grand jury indicted him, but prosecutors weren’t finished. After further investigation, the DA accused Nodine of using illegal drugs while in possession of a firearm, after which he was indicted on federal gun charges. In the following months, stalking charges were also added to the indictment.
Ultimately, Nodine was convicted of misdemeanor ethics violations and sentenced to 15 months in prison. After his new DA took over, Nodine was charged with manslaughter. Prosecutors claimed that Nodine somehow drove Downs to suicide. Nodine signed a plea bargain agreeing to charges of harassment and perjury. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for perjury and 2 years in prison for harassment and ethics violations. He was released after serving his two years.
Nodine pleaded not guilty and appeared on the Oxygen show featuring Downs.
“There was no evidence that I shot her at gunpoint to the head and made it look like a suicide,” Nodine said.
Some of Downes’ friends admit they don’t know what happened to their loved ones that night, but believe Nodin was responsible.
To contact the author of this article or to comment, please email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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