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Capital murder charge in September death of good Samaritan

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WETUMPKA, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama man arrested in the stabbing death of a good Samaritan now faces a capital murder charge.

The Montgomery Advertiser reports that a grand jury recently indicted 32-year-old Ronald Jason Mann, of Elmore County in the death of 47-year-old Davon Waldrep, also of Elmore County.

Waldrep came to Mann's aid at a car wreck in September and was stabbed when he refused to give the driver his cellphone, Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin said.

"This man just thought somebody had a wreck and he stopped to help," Franklin said. "He asked if he could call someone. That's when Mann said he wanted the good Samaritan's cell phone."

Authorities said Mann and a juvenile had earlier forced a man and woman to withdraw money from a convenience store ATM.

As Mann was driving away from the store, he struck a sign at a nearby railroad crossing, which disabled his vehicle shortly before Waldrep approached.

Authorities said Mann and the teenager fled into the woods after Waldrep was stabbed. They were captured hours later.

Waldrep died from his wounds several weeks later in a Montgomery hospital.

Mann is currently in the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections on unrelated charges, Franklin said. It was unclear if he had an attorney who could speak for him.

The death penalty is on the table for Mann, said C.J. Robinson, chief assistant district attorney. The only other sentencing option in a capital murder conviction is life in prison without the possibility of parole. Capital murder charges were brought because Waldrep was killed during a robbery, Robinson said.

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