Judge consolidates Damien McDaniel cases in Jefferson County

Birmingham mass shooting suspect Damien McDaniel faces consolidated trial in Jefferson County court A Jefferson County Circuit Court judge has granted a motion to consolidate cases against Damien McDaniel, the suspect in a Birmingham mass shooting and other violent crimes. New court filings show Judge Shanta Owens approved the state's motion for consolidation, which will combine some of the cases against McDaniel into one trial. McDaniel was in court Tuesday as Judge Owens heard arguments from both sides on the motion. Last month, the district attorney's office filed the request to consolidate McDaniel's mass shooting case at Hush Lounge in Birmingham's Five Points South neighborhood with a murder-for-hire shooting case that occurred less than 24 hours later in the East Lake neighborhood. Four people were killed and 17 injured in the mass shooting, while one person was killed and two others were hurt in the murder-for-hire shooting. McDaniel faces numerous other murder charges. In total, he is accused of killing 18 people and injuring more than 30 in crimes committed across Central Alabama over the course of a year. The judge also granted the state's motion for pretrial determination of admissibility in addition to the consolidation request. She issued orders on both motions, which were filed Tuesday. The documents are not yet available for review, but further clarification is expected Monday when the courts reopen. >> WVTM 13 ON-THE-GO: Download our app for free