Judge Steensland sentenced Latarius Mylik Dale after jurors convicted him of first-degree domestic violence.
HOUSTON COUNTY, Ala. — Latarius Mylik Dale was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after a Houston County jury found him guilty in a hammer attack that left Brittany Moulton near death outside a neighbor’s home.
The sentence, handed down May 21, made Dale’s punishment the central outcome of a case built on a home invasion allegation, severe medical injuries and the end of a relationship. Prosecutors said Dale attacked Moulton in February 2025 after she blocked him and cut off contact. Moulton survived, testified through her public account and watched the case reach a conviction more than a year later.
The legal charge was first-degree domestic violence, a serious felony-level count that went to a Houston County jury. Local reports said jurors convicted Dale before Judge Steensland imposed the life term. WTVY reported that Dale had no prior felony convictions. Even so, the judge sentenced him to life in prison. The possibility of parole leaves a future administrative path open, but no public report has listed a parole review date or appeal hearing tied to the sentence.
Prosecutors said the attack took place at Moulton’s home in Lovetown, a Houston County community near Dothan. Dale was accused of entering the home while dressed in black and striking Moulton with a claw hammer. The blows landed on her head, face and chest, according to local reporting. Moulton lost consciousness. Investigators said she was left badly wounded and fighting for her life. The weapon, the location and the number of strikes helped define the criminal case for jurors.
Moulton’s own account added the clearest detail about the moments inside the home. She said she had gone to bed after returning home when she heard two footsteps. She then saw a dark figure. She remembered the first blow and yelling no before another strike knocked her out. When she woke, she was on the floor, injured and unable to see from her right eye. She got outside, reached a neighbor’s yard and knocked. No one answered, and she collapsed there.
Emergency care moved the case beyond the crime scene. Moulton was flown by medical aircraft to UAB Hospital in Birmingham and remained hospitalized for 14 days. She later described a metal plate in her head and stitches running from ear to ear. She also said a torn retina left her blind in her right eye. Those injuries became part of the court record through the prosecution’s case and part of the public record through Moulton’s interviews before and after the verdict.
The relationship between Dale and Moulton had already appeared in court before the February 2025 attack. In 2023, Dale was charged with third-degree domestic violence in another alleged incident. Moulton later asked the judge to dismiss that charge. She said she made the request because she and Dale were raising children together and she thought they might fix the relationship. The earlier case did not lead to a prison term. By November 2024, Moulton said, she had left for good.
The blocked contact became a key part of the public explanation for what prosecutors said happened next. Moulton said Dale could not reach her after she blocked him and no longer knew where she was or who she was with. She said he knew it was over. Prosecutors did not need to prove every part of that emotional history to show the physical assault, but the timeline helped frame the attack as an act that followed separation rather than a sudden argument between partners still together.
At sentencing, the courtroom shifted from evidence to consequence. Moulton was present and emotional as Dale learned he would serve a life sentence. She said afterward that justice had been served. Her comments also placed the case in a broader public setting because she had spoken during Crime Victims’ Rights Week before trial. At that point, Dale still faced the charge, and Moulton was describing recovery while the legal process remained open. The case leaves a record of what is known and what remains outside public view. Known facts include the final breakup in November 2024, the February 2025 attack, the 14-day hospital stay, the first-degree domestic violence conviction and the May 21 life sentence. Unknown from public reports are the full trial transcript, any detailed defense argument at sentencing and the timing of any appeal. Dale’s status is now defined by the conviction and sentence.
Moulton’s recovery continues alongside the legal aftermath. The case is no longer pending before jurors, and Dale’s life sentence with possible parole remains the reported result. As of June 21, 2026, the next public milestone would be any appeal filing, parole action or new court order.
Author note: Last updated June 21, 2026.