A 32-year-old man found dead in Birmingham woods was shot execution-style because his accused killers believed he was at least partly responsible for one of the suspect’s sons being in jail for murder, a detective testified.

Juan Chapman disappeared Jan. 26.

His family members used his phone’s location to find him the following afternoon on the city’s west side.

Chapman, a father, was dead from a gunshot wound to the back of the head.

Wilbert Reynolds Jr., 51, of Birmingham, and Dexter Jemison, 55, of Bessemer, are charged with capital murder. The suspects are cousins.

At a preliminary hearing held Thursday before Jefferson County District Judge William Bell, Birmingham homicide Det. Ethan Sentelle was the only witness in the lengthy hearing.

Jemison was present in the courtroom but Reynolds, who is an amputee with significant health issues, could not attend for medical reasons.

Jemison is represented by attorney Bret Gray. Reynolds is represented by Emory Anthony.

Jefferson County Deputy District Attorney Charissa Henrichs is prosecuting the case.

Prosecutors contend Chapman and a friend showed up at Reynold’s house that Sunday to buy cocaine.

Reynolds, they said, was angry that Chapman was at his home and told Chapman’s friend that “they would not leave.”

Jemison, authorities contend, carried out the deadly shooting at Reynold’s request.

Defense attorneys, however, say there is no evidence against their clients, and say police are taking the word of the lone witness who they say is not credible and could be the killer himself.

When the hearing ended, Bell ruled there was enough probable cause against both men to send the case to a grand jury for indictment consideration.

Both men are being held without bond, but Anthony asked to the judge to release Reynolds to home confinement, saying the jail is having trouble meeting his medical needs.

Bell took the request under advisement, and said he would make a decision by next week.

Chapman was reported missing to police by family earlier that Monday, Jan. 27.

He had, however, been missing since the weekend and relatives had been out searching for him.

Sentelle testified that while the family was conducting a search, a man showed up at Birmingham police headquarters saying he had information about Chapman.

That man showed up about 1:30 p.m. and told Sentelle that he had picked up Chapman on Sunday morning and they drove to Reynold’s home on the west side to buy drugs.

The witness said he knew Reynolds, whose nickname is Frog, through Reynolds’ son, Ledarius Hayes, who is in jail awaiting trial for a different Birmingham murder.

When they got to Reynolds’ home, the witness went inside while Chapman stayed in the car, reportedly talking to his longtime girlfriend.

Reynolds and Jemison were inside, as well as a 12-year-old girl who was asleep on the couch, Sentelle said.

While the witness was talking to Reynolds, he mentioned that Chapman was with him.

“He didn’t know there was a previously problem,” Sentelle said. “Frog (Reynolds) believed his son was in jail because of Juan Chapman.”

The witness told the detective that Reynolds was not happy, and made the statement that they “would not be leaving here today.”

At that point, Jemison stood up with a gun, Sentelle said.

He walked with the witness outside and got into the car with him.

Jemison, the witness said, got into the back seat behind Chapman and told Jemison to drive.

About two minutes into the drive, the witness told police, Jemison pulled out his gun, shot Chapman in the back of the head and put a garbage bag over Chapman’s head.

Jemison then whispered to the witness, “keep driving.”

A few minutes later, the witness said, Jemison told him to stop and dragged Chapman’s body into the wooded area.

Soon after, Jemison and the witness parted ways.

Sentelle testified that Reynolds kept calling the witness to come back over but the witness didn’t “because he was scared,” the detective said.

The witness also said that Reynolds had taken a photo of the witness’ ID.

Less than two hours after the witness first showed up at police headquarters, Chapman’s family found his body.

Sentelle said Reynolds and Chapman were quickly taken into custody and identified by the witness through photo lineups. Both denied being involved in the killing.

Sentelle said the murder weapon has not been recovered, and the witness said Jemison took the spent shell casing with him when he got out of the car.

The witness’s car was towed from police headquarters as evidence. Sentelle said crime scene technicians used a special spray on the car’s interior, which detected traces of blood on passenger’s side seat, dash and door.

Otherwise, Sentelle said under cross examination, the witness had cleaned the car before showing up at headquarters.

Under cross examination from Anthony, Sentelle said he did not find any evidence in seized phones of Reynolds taking a photo of the witness’ ID.

He also said Chapman was not a listed witness in the murder case against Reynolds’ son, but said Chapman’s sister is.

Sentelle also said Chapman was reportedly on Facetime with his girlfriend when he was killed, but the detective said he had not yet formally interviewed the girlfriend.

In closing statements, Henrichs said there was clearly enough probable cause to move the case forward to a grand jury.

Anthony and Gray strongly disagreed.

“I guess what we’re going to do is just believe everything (the witness) said, and what we can’t show, disregard that,” Anthony said.

“What we have, judge, is the detective relying on someone that he has no way to say is credible,” Anthony said. “My client never told anybody to kill anyone.”

“How can we believe this man?” Anthony said. “I think this case still needs to be investigated.”

“This officer is relying on (the witness), a person that I believe killed the young man,” Anthony said. “For whatever reason, I don’t know. Why would you clean up the car?”

Gray agreed.

“The only probably cause that has been submitted in this case is the statements of (the witness). He’s not credible,” Gray said.

“It’s a scary prospect that someone can just walk into a police station and say person A shot person B and that’s all there is. (The witness) was never investigated.”