Charges include four felonies and four misdemeanors
A New Orleans man, Pierre Seymour Eskew, 35, faces eight criminal charges, including four felonies, in connection with the fatal stabbing of 22-year-old Darryel Sutton aboard a charter bus in Bessemer on June 15.
According to Jefferson County District Court records in the Bessemer Division, Eskew is charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, four counts of menacing, and one count of first-degree marijuana possession. The charges stem from arrests made between June 17 and June 18.
Court records show that the murder charge carries no bond. Bond was set at $60,000 for each attempted murder charge, $15,000 for the marijuana charge, and $3,000 for each of the four menacing charges. All cases are scheduled for a hearing on July 14 at 10 a.m., and Eskew remains jailed on all charges.
The charges relate to a June 15 incident on a charter bus traveling from Tennessee to Louisiana carrying approximately 40 employees of Fess Security Inc. After a scheduled stop at a Walmart on Academy Drive in Bessemer, a physical altercation broke out on board involving multiple passengers. During the fight, Eskew allegedly used a knife, stabbing or cutting multiple individuals.
One victim, identified by the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office as Darryel Sutton of New Orleans, was pronounced dead at UAB Hospital. Two other victims were injured, including one who was critically hurt and required surgery, and another who sustained minor injuries.
Police said the altercation may have stemmed from an ongoing dispute among coworkers and had been building for hours or even days. Eskew was arrested near St. Aloysius Catholic Church, about two blocks from the Walmart, and a second bus was used to transport remaining passengers back to Louisiana.
Court filings also show that the marijuana charge was elevated to a felony due to prior convictions in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. An attorney has entered an appearance, and an initial hearing was held on June 22.
