A Birmingham man who claimed at the time that he had “killed a white lady,” and that “Trump made me do it,” has been convicted of a lesser charge in the beating death of a truck driver on Interstate 20-59.
Charles Levester Gipson, 44, was charged with murder in the August 19, 2020 killing of Christine Summers, a 53-year-old truck driver employed by RTR Transportation in Tennessee. Summers was a wife, mother, and grandmother.
Summers was found dead at approximately 3:20 a.m. on Wednesday, August 19, 2020. Her body was located in the breakdown lane on 20-59 near the Valley Road exit. The dentures she wore had been knocked out of her mouth, and she had suffered a fatal head injury.
Gipson was arrested an hour later on Allison Bonnett Memorial Drive. He was walking down the street naked, his body doused with blood.
Gipson was not present for his preliminary hearing in October 2020. Bessemer Cutoff Circuit Judge David Carpenter informed the court that Gipson—who was also charged with attacking two police officers and flooding his jail cell—had recently assaulted a jailer and was too “unstable” and “dangerous” to appear in court.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Brent Butler and Jerry Carter, while Victor Revill represented Gipson. Summers’ disabled husband watched the proceedings via Zoom from his home in Tennessee.
State Bureau of Investigation Agent Vincent Cunningham testified about the chain of events that day. He arrived on the scene at 6:15 a.m. and found Summers’ body covered near her tractor-trailer. Multiple law enforcement agencies were present, including the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Alabama State Troopers, and Hueytown Police. The message “Trump 2020” was scrawled in dirt on the back of the truck.
911 transcripts recorded a call Summers made, telling a dispatcher she had seen a man walking on the interstate and thought she might have hit him. While still on the line, she exited her truck to investigate. The dispatcher then heard her scream: “Get away from me!”
“She never came back to the phone,” Cunningham testified.
Gipson was taken into custody around 4:30 a.m. by Hueytown Police. He was naked, bloody, sweating profusely, and making spontaneous statements about “killing a white woman” and that “Trump made me do it,” according to officers. His right fist was bruised, cut, and bleeding, as confirmed by a paramedic who also heard the same statements.
Gipson later attacked two officers—Cpl. Alex Humphries and Officer Justin Hickey—when they attempted to move him from a padded cell to an interview room. Humphries suffered a black eye, while Hickey sustained a bloodied nose. Gipson was charged with second-degree assault for the attack.
Humphries testified that Gipson said, “I’m going to kill you. I’m not going to prison.” Hickey added that Gipson seemed disgruntled about race, believing officers intended to harm him. Under cross-examination, Hickey stated Gipson used racial slurs and said “he wanted to kill us.”
Due to the attack, Cunningham was unable to interview Gipson until the next day. During questioning, Gipson claimed someone named Drew made him strip and took his clothes—though investigators found no evidence to support this claim.
Gipson denied killing anyone and said his injured hand came from punching a wall during an argument with his girlfriend. However, her mother stated he had punched a wall but was not bleeding at the time.
Investigators later matched a palm print from the victim’s tractor-trailer to Gipson. Although his clothing was never recovered, he still had his cell phone at the time of arrest.
Gipson told investigators he had been walking on the interstate trying to reach his mother’s home in Tuscaloosa. He gave multiple conflicting accounts, even claiming someone was trying to kill his family.
“He was just rambling all over the place,” Cunningham said.
Gipson was also charged with destruction of state property after allegedly using jail bedding to clog a toilet, causing nearly $2,000 in damages. This incident led to the revocation of his $1.5 million bond in September 2020.
On March 18, 2026, Gipson was convicted of a lesser charge in the killing of Summers. He had pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
A Jefferson County Bessemer Cutoff jury convicted Gipson of manslaughter, determining he was under the influence of drugs at the time, which mitigated the intent required for a murder conviction. Gipson admitted to past use of cocaine, marijuana, spice, molly, and Suboxone.
He was also convicted of two assault charges related to the attack on the officers.
Gipson’s trial began March 9 before Judge David Carpenter. The jury began deliberations on March 17 and returned a verdict the following morning.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Kaemi Velez, Brent Butler, and Jonathan Brown. Gipson was represented by attorneys Victor Revill, Daniel Bond, Rodney Lacy, and Tracy Edmond. Summers’ husband was unable to attend the trial.
During closing arguments, the prosecution maintained that Gipson had clearly committed the murder and had no documented history of mental illness.
“His own statement put him at the scene… It doesn’t get more incriminating than that,” Butler said.
Revill, in contrast, argued uncertainty:
“I don’t know if Charles Gipson killed Christine Summers… We may never know.”
However, he added:
“If he did, he was out of his mind and could not appreciate the wrongfulness of his actions.”
Due to prior criminal convictions, Gipson now faces a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of life in prison on the manslaughter conviction.
Sentencing is set for July 27.
