Former District Attorney and Criminal Appeals Court Judge Jimmy Fry died after having heart surgery Monday, the Alabama District Attorneys Association announced Tuesday. He was 68.
Fry was from Athens and served as the Limestone County District Attorney from 1982 to 1999 when he was appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals. He was an associate judge on the court from 1999 to 2001. He also served as an executive director of Legal Services Alabama before retiring in 2016.
Fry held several leadership positions in the ADAA, including secretary-treasurer, vice president and president.
After he left the Court of Criminal Appeals, Fry worked 10 years with Legal Services Alabama, first as director for the southern region of Alabama and then as the state executive director. Fry was a founding member of the Northwest Alabama Drug Task Force and former co-chairperson of the U.S. Attorney’s Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee. He served on the Athens City School board and was a founding member of the Children’s First Foundation of Alabama.
Fry most recently served as a supernumerary district attorney in Montgomery. Supernumeraries are former or retired district attorneys who handle special cases the current district attorney can’t.
ADAA Executive Director Barry Matson called Fry a “dedicated lawyer, prosecutor and jurist.”
“Not only were we well-acquainted professionally, I also consider Jimmy a good friend. I’ve known him my entire career. He worked tirelessly to promote the interest of prosecutors, victims and the citizens of the state of Alabama. We all were extremely proud when he was appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals,” Matson said. “We are truly heartbroken by his death.”
Mike O’Dell, the district attorney for Cherokee and DeKalb counties, worked with Fry in the 1990s.
“Jimmy was a great guy and an outstanding prosecutor,” O’Dell said. “He was innovative and very personable. He was a tremendous asset to the association.”
In addition to his legal work, Fry was also remembered for his sense of humor, optimism and leadership
“He was one of those people who were fun to be around,” said Bill Baxley, a former lieutenant governor, attorney general and district attorney who served in the National Guard with Fry. “He was one of the best prosecutors we ever had in this state. He tried some of the biggest cases in Alabama. He was sent all over the state to try the big cases. He had really good judgment and could readily assess things.”
Birmingham attorney LaVeeda Battle served on the board of Legal Services when Fry was executive director and remembers him as an advocate for the less fortunate.
“He was totally dedicated to the mission of Legal Services,” Battle said in a statement. “He was a strong advocate for people in poverty, especially people who needed legal services.”
Funeral services for Fry have not been publicly announced.
The Alabama District Attorneys Association’s membership includes the district attorneys of all 42 judicial circuits, the state attorney general and the director of the Alabama Securities Commission. The association promotes education and professionalism among prosecutors and advocates for a fair, just and effective criminal justice system.