A Lawrence County jury has convicted 61-year-old Timothy Houston Harville of murder in the 2023 shotgun killing of his nephew's wife, Angela Berryman Hill Harville, a case prosecutors say began with a dispute over a missing cow. The 46-year-old victim was shot in the head at her home in the Hatton community after an argument with Harville, according to authorities.
Jurors found Harville guilty of murder, menacing and first-degree burglary, according to WHNT, which reported the unlawful-imprisonment count was a first-degree conviction. Law&Crime, however, reported that jurors convicted him of second-degree unlawful imprisonment rather than the first-degree charge. All four charges stem from the September 13, 2023 killing, per WHNT's reporting.
District Attorney Errek P. Jett said Harville went to Angela Harville's home that evening claiming he was looking for a lost cow, according to People. Her home sat about half a mile from Harville's own residence. Jett said Harville told investigators he saw an unknown man standing inside the doorway and knew his nephew was at work at the time; Jett said that man was actually a friend of Angela and her husband.
Testimony Describes a Heated Exchange Before the Shooting
Court testimony indicated Harville came to the door angry, according to Jett's account relayed by People. Witness testimony alleged Angela Harville told him, “go ahead and blow my brains out,” to which Jett said Harville replied, “there you go.” A witness then heard a gunshot after the exchange, and witnesses told the sheriff's office that Harville pointed a shotgun at Angela and shot her in the head.
Separate reporting from the Moulton Advertiser, drawn from preliminary-hearing testimony, said Angela Harville was on the phone with her husband, Scott Harville, at the moment of the shooting. WHNT reported that the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office said an argument began before Timothy Harville shot the victim in the head with a shotgun.
Conflicting Accounts of the Day Deputies Were Called
Accounts differ on exactly when officers were dispatched to the scene. WHNT reported that officers responded to a call about an unresponsive woman in the 2300 block of County Road 161 around 6:30 p.m. on September 13, 2023, and discovered Angela Berryman Hill Harville at the residence. Law&Crime, by contrast, reported that deputies responded to a report of an unresponsive woman at 6:30 p.m. on September 14, 2023, and that Harville had gone to the victim's home that evening looking for a lost cow.
He had previously been arrested in December 2022 on charges of shooting into an occupied dwelling or vehicle and two counts of reckless endangerment, and he was out of jail on bond at the time of Angela Harville's killing. The Decatur Daily reported that Harville was released from the Lawrence County Jail on March 5, 2025, after posting an $83,000 property bond ahead of trial.
Defense Maintains Innocence, Sentencing Set for January
Harville's attorney, Paula McCreless Basham, said her client maintains his innocence despite the conviction, according to People's reporting. Basham said Harville claimed he left the property while Angela Harville was still alive and well.
Jett said Harville's bond has been revoked pending a sentencing hearing currently scheduled for January 7, 2027, per WHNT. It remains unclear what sentence, if any, Harville will ultimately face.
