Jury acquits Irvington man in Cookies-n-Cream murder case

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - A jury on Thursday found an Irvington man not guilty of murdering a man at a Theodore strip club.

Prosecutors alleged that Robert Jamonte Abrams, 32, and his girlfriend murdered Manchella “Joe” Allen in February 2021 at the now-closed Cookies-n-Cream. Family and friends at the time described Allen as kind man dedicated to coaching youth sports.

But the defense argued that Allen was the aggressor.

Abrams “did shoot, and it was in self-defense,” said attorney Christine Hernandez, who represented Abrams along with ChaLea Tisdale and Megan Allgood.

Hernandez also obtained a not-guilty verdict less than a year ago in another murder case, involving Xavier Flake, also based on self-defense.

“This is the second time we’ve gone in with self-defense and gotten a not-guilty verdict. … It’s the second time in about 12 months,” she said.

Mobile County Circuit Judge Wesley Pipes threw out a second-degree assault charge at the close of the prosecution case.

Co-defendant Breanna Cunningham, who is accused of giving Abram the gun, is scheduled to go on trial for murder later this year.

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