Former Huntsville officer indicted on capital murder charges

Former Huntsville officer indicted on capital murder charges

A Madison County grand jury has indicted a former Huntsville police officer on three counts of capital murder in the 2022 shooting death of his pregnant girlfriend.

David Michael McCoy, 29, was indicted March 24, according to court documents made public this week.

McCoy is accused of shooting and killing 26-year-old Courtney Spraggins at the Weston Ranch Apartment Complex on Lawsons Ridge Drive in Huntsville.

McCoy was off duty at the time of the shooting. Three days later, Mark McMurray, the police chief at the time, announced he was “no longer a police officer or an employee of the City of Huntsville.”

McCoy faces three charges — one for killing Spraggins, one for the unborn child and a third because the shooting happened in a vehicle. Prosecutors last year signaled they will seek the death penalty.

Courtney Spraggins, 26, was shot to death Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, in Huntsville. Her boyfriend, former Huntsville police Officer David McCoy, is charged with capital murder. (Contributed)

According to Spraggins’ family, McCoy called 911 and reported that Spraggins committed suicide, claiming not to know her. However, investigators found McCoy’s pictures in Spraggins’ car, the family said. McMurray, who has since retired, said last year that officers responding realized “within minutes” that McCoy was connected and “something was not right.”

McCoy was off-duty at the time of the shooting. Spraggins, who met McCoy on an online dating site, was seven months pregnant with their daughter. Spraggins’ family described a turbulent relationship with McCoy, who they said wasn’t happy about the pregnancy.

During testimony at a hearing last year, ALEA Special Agent Brittany Hayes testified that Spraggins’ phone was found in McCoy’s apartment, and mail labeled to Spraggins and ultrasound pictures were found in McCoy’s patrol vehicle.