'Immunity from Justice' details tragic murder of Patrick Dale in Alabama

Betsy Dale Adams, a former resident of Evergreen, who now lives in Gulf Breeze, Fla., recently sent me a copy of a newspaper article that was published in the April 28 edition of The Pensacola News-Journal. Written by Kevin Robinson, the article describes a recent trip that Adams made to Washington, D.C. as part of the Everytown for Gun Safety’s Survivor Fellowship Leadership Program, which provides a support network for gun violence victims. During her trip to the nation’s capital, Adams met with U.S. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida in what she called a “productive meeting.”

Many Evergreen residents will be familiar with Adams and her family’s story. Her 27-year-old brother, Patrick Dale, was brutally murdered on July 16, 1983 after giving Evergreen resident Douglas Griffin a ride home from a hotel bar in exchange for $5 in gas money. Griffin, who had a long history of mental illness and violent behavior, had been released from a state mental facility just 72 days before.

Griffin was later convicted of forcing Dale to drive him toward Tuscaloosa before Griffin finally shot him in the head with a shotgun and left his body off of Wilcox County Road 89, between Camden and Selma. Dale’s badly decomposed body was found sometime later by highway department workers. His remains were initially identified by a belt buckle that said “Pat” and a dry cleaner’s receipt bearing his name.

Along with the recent newspaper article, Adams also sent me a copy of her 2014 book called “Immunity from Justice: Pat’s Story,” which details the tragic events surrounding her brother’s murder, how her family struggled to deal with this tragedy, the resulting criminal trial and the unsatisfactory end of a wrongful death civil suit against the state of Alabama for their negligence in releasing Griffin from a state mental institution. Published by Mascot Books, this 43-page book features a brief introduction by former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb and a foreword by famous Alabama attorney, Jere Beasley, who was one of the attorneys who represented the Adams family during the civil lawsuit.

I have to admit that this book was painful to read and no doubt it was painful for Adams to write as she rehashed the details behind her brother’s gruesome death. Between the covers of this book, local readers will find the names of more than a few local residents, including former Conecuh County Sheriff Edwin Booker, Conecuh County Sheriff’s deputy Jimmy Lambert, former funeral home owner Sam Cope, Montgomery Advertiser reporter Alvin Benn and others.

In preparation for this column, I checked to see if Griffin was still in prison, and, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections, Griffin remains an inmate at Holman Prison in Atmore. He entered the prison system on Jan. 3, 1985 and has remained behind bars for the past 33 years and five months with no chance of parole. He is serving life without parole and will never see the outside of a prison.

In the end, if you’re interested in reading more about Patrick Dale and the issues surrounding his death, I highly recommend Adams’s book. It is a sad tale but draws attention to problems in the state’s mental health system as it relates to potentially violent offenders who get released back on the streets.