A Jefferson County jury has convicted 38-year-old Gilbert Lee Coates of first-degree kidnapping for binding a Birmingham mother with duct tape, taping her mouth shut, and forcing her into the trunk of her own car while her 3-year-old child looked on. Circuit Judge Kandice Pickett sentenced Coates to life in prison without the possibility of parole under Alabama's Habitual Felony Offender Act, citing his lengthy criminal history, according to AL.com.
A Terrifying Scene at Kingston
The kidnapping happened on September 5, 2023, in Birmingham's Kingston public housing community, according to AL.com. Authorities said Coates had been in a relationship with the victim before he held her at gunpoint, bound her wrists and ankles with duct tape, and taped her mouth shut. He then forced her into the trunk of her own car as her young child watched nearby, per the same account.
While Coates was away from the vehicle, the victim managed to escape the trunk and ran to a nearby apartment for help, the report states. Video evidence from Kingston captured Coates securing the trunk after stepping away from the car, and later showed him carrying the child into the victim's apartment. The 3-year-old was not physically harmed during the ordeal, per the same account.
Arrest and Prior Record
Police arrested Coates two days after the kidnapping, finding a gun in his possession at the time, the article notes. He had three prior felony convictions and was already serving a prison sentence for robbery, with additional violent convictions on his record from both Georgia and Jefferson County, according to the same report. Separate kidnapping charges brought against Coates by another girlfriend had previously been dismissed for lack of victim cooperation, per the same account.
Trial and Sentencing
Coates' trial began this past Monday before Judge Pickett, and the jury returned its guilty verdict on first-degree kidnapping on Wednesday. Deputy district attorneys Elise Driskill and Julie McMakin prosecuted the case, while Coates was represented by Latonia Williams and Sidney Mitchell of the Jefferson County public defender's office, the outlet reported.
Alabama Code 13A-6-41 defines first-degree unlawful imprisonment, a Class A misdemeanor. With his habitual-offender status factored into sentencing, Judge Pickett ordered that Coates spend the rest of his life behind bars with no chance of parole.
