Naman Shrestha
From the outside, Syble Stokes led a picture-perfect life in the idyllic community of Centreville, Alabama. So, when she met her sudden and tragic demise in 2005, the entire community was shell-shocked. After all, it was the first murder in the town since 1990. The entire case and the investigation that followed are explored in Investigation Discovery’s ‘Fatal Vows: The Unholy Affair,’ which also features insightful interviews with Syble’s loved ones and the officials who helped solve the complicated case.
Syble Stokes Was Found Dead in Her Bedroom After Reports of a Home Invasion
The beloved daughter of Sidney Wright “Sid” Davis and Linette Margie Blanton Davis, Syble Jean Davis Stokes, was born on December 24, 1951, in Berry, Alabama, where she grew up with her two beloved sisters, Deborah Pullen and Sherry Kay Davis Vick. Hailing from a church-going family, she embraced a religious lifestyle and shared it with her husband, Earnest “Earnie” Stokes, whom she married in 1971. In the following years, they became parents to two sons, Daniel and Travis Stokes. The residents of Centreville, Syble and Earnie, were associated with a local church, with the former volunteering part-time and Earnie serving as the Baptist minister.
Syble also worked part-time at Rockco’s Funeral Home. However, after being married to Earnie for about 35 years, she met her untimely demise on September 20, 2005, at the age of 53. On the fateful day, the police received a 911 call from Earnie, who reported a home invasion in his Montevallo Road home and claimed that he had called from his truck parked outside his home. When the police arrived at the Stokes residence, they found Syble dead from a fatal gunshot wound in the couple’s bedroom. Without any delay, a homicide investigation was launched immediately.
Syble Stokes’ Assailant Was Spotted Buying Ammunition Before the Crime
As part of the investigation, the police spoke with Syble Stokes’ husband, Earnest “Earnie” Stokes, who claimed that an intruder had splashed gasoline in his face in the garage before striking him with a brick. However, the detectives found no trace of the alleged gasoline anywhere on the recently retired Baptist minister’s body. As it raised suspicion on him, the investigators dug deeper into Earnie’s activities in the hours and days prior to Syble’s murder. While reviewing the security footage of a local store, they spotted Earnie purchasing .22-caliber bullets two days prior to the shooting.
According to police reports, the investigators uncovered evidence that Earnie was allegedly having an extramarital affair behind Syble’s back. Authorities stated that the relationship with his girlfriend was unraveling, and that Syble had confronted her husband shortly before her death and asked him to put an end to the affair. According to law enforcement reports and court records, forensic evidence also indicated that he was standing far from her when he fired the fatal shot. In light of the circumstantial evidence and witness statements, authorities charged the former Bibb County preacher in connection with the murder of his wife. Thus, he was arrested in March 2006 and charged with Syble’s killing.
Earnie Stokes Was Seemingly Granted Parole After Serving Several Years For Murder
More than two years after his arrest, in August 2008, Earnest “Earnie” Stokes pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received a 20-year imprisonment sentence for killing his wife of 35 years, Syble Stokes, in their Centreville, Alabama, home. His first parole hearing took place in 2013, which was denied. A few years later, on February 13, 2018, during his second parole hearing, Syble and Earnie’s son, Daniel Stokes, took the stand and stated, “This has been so hard. This has ripped my family apart. I’ve been lied to.”
The killer’s sister and brother-in-law also took the stand and testified in his defense. In addition, his defense attorney highlighted that Earnie had focused on his rehabilitation during his incarceration. Ultimately, he was denied parole by the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles. The next parole hearing took place in May 2023 and was again denied, with a reset date set to May 2025. However, since Earnie is no longer listed in the Alabama Department of Corrections inmate database and official state records have not been publicly confirmed, it appears that he was likely granted parole sometime after 2023.
