A Texas man is facing a reckless manslaughter charge after court documents say he was driving drunk when his vehicle collided with another car in Jefferson County, killing a 73-year-old Birmingham man. Jalen Montreal Moore is accused in the death of John Ambrose Kendricks, who died eight days after the July 20 crash.
Court documents filed in Jefferson County District Court in Birmingham charge Moore with reckless manslaughter in Kendricks's death, according to WBRC. Per the complaint, Moore allegedly caused Kendricks's death by driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, and his vehicle collided with the one Kendricks was driving. The complaint lists the alleged offense date as on or about July 20.
Who Were the Men Involved
Court records list a Texas address for Moore, the station's report notes. Kendricks, meanwhile, was a longtime resident of Birmingham, according to an obituary from Eastside Funeral Home. The obituary states that Kendricks, born September 22, 1952, died July 28 at age 73 — a week and a day after the crash that authorities say Moore caused.
Under Alabama law, a person commits manslaughter if he or she recklessly causes the death of another person, per the Alabama Judicial System.
Alabama's Impaired-Driving Toll
The case adds to a grim statewide tally. Alabama recorded 967 traffic fatalities and more than 36,600 injuries in 2024, according to the Alabama Department of Transportation. That marked a slight decline from 975 deaths the year before, the agency's data shows.
Of those 2024 fatalities, 187 people died in 4,657 crashes involving suspected alcohol or drug impairment statewide, the transportation department reports. Fatality crashes involving impairment made up 3.5 percent of all fatal crashes in Alabama — a rate 6.5 times higher than impairment's share of crashes overall, per the same agency data. Jefferson County alone recorded 103 traffic fatalities in 2024, including eight with apparent alcohol or drug involvement, according to the department's figures.
Details surrounding the exact crash location, time, and road conditions have not been independently verified. Toxicology results and the specific blood-alcohol concentration alleged in Moore's case have also not been made public in the available court records.
