The family of an Alabama Baptist music minister killed in 1997 is speaking out ahead of a parole hearing for the man convicted in the murder.
Brian Tribble was minister of music at Centercrest Baptist Church in Center Point. He was at church early on Oct. 3, 1997, to make breakfast for a group of men leaving for a Promise Keepers rally when prosecutors say he surprised a would-be burglar who was attempting to break into a drink machine at the church.
Prosecutors said Milton Dudley shot Tribble twice in the hallway of the church. Dudley pleaded guilty to felony murder and in 2000 was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Tribble, 36, was married and had four young children ranging in age from 6 months to 7 years old at the time of his death.
Bob Curlee, who was pastor of Centercrest at the time, wrote a book in 2011, “Brian Has Left the Building: The Brian Tribble Story,” about Tribble’s life and the impact his life and death had on his family, church and community.
Hearing set for Oct. 17
Dudley has served more than two decades in prison for Tribble’s murder. The Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Parole has scheduled a parole hearing for Dudley on Oct. 17.
Family members are drawing attention to the upcoming hearing through an online petition. A family spokesperson told The Alabama Baptist they are grateful to those who have “prayed, signed the petition, written parole letters and encouraged each of us. We would not survive these dark days without leaning into our Lord and being surrounded by those who love and remember him.”
“Brian loved everyone unconditionally, and that is the main thing that people remember most about him,” the statement said. “We as his family hope that we are making him so proud. … We miss him every single day.”
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