Life Without Parole For Permanently Paralyzing Recovery Agent

A Talladega man, Dexter Lamar Swain, 44, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole last week after being convicted of attempted murder and shooting into an occupied vehicle. Circuit Judge Chad Woodruff also handed Swain a second life sentence for the shooting, along with 15 years for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, following Swain’s guilty plea to that charge.

In October 2023, Swain shot Austin White, a repossession agent working for a Mississippi-based company, while White was attempting to repossess Swain’s 2013 Hyundai Accent. White had been assigned to repossess the vehicle after Swain’s wife defaulted on a Title Max loan in Talladega. Despite repeated warnings from the company that their vehicle was subject to repossession, the Swains refused to make payments, leading to White’s assignment.

White located the vehicle at the Swains’ residence and hooked it up to his truck. After driving a short distance, White stopped to process the vehicle, only to be confronted by Swain, who approached with a shotgun. White tried to flee in the truck but was shot. The truck moved forward just enough to prevent White from being fatally shot in the head, but he was hit in the back of the neck and paralyzed. Unable to control the vehicle, White crashed, and while he has since regained some mobility, he will suffer permanent weakness and severe pain due to buckshot lodged in his spinal canal.

After the incident, Title Max canceled the remaining debt on the vehicle.

During the trial, it was revealed that Swain had been banned from Title Max for threatening employees, and had continued making threats over the phone after defaulting on the loan. Swain initially claimed he believed the truck was being stolen, despite multiple warnings about repossession, and White informing him of the repossession before the shooting.

White’s mother delivered a statement in court describing the devastating impact of the “senseless act” on her son’s life, while White’s grandmother called the situation “insane.” Kilgore, Chief Assistant District Attorney, said the victim’s family was satisfied with the maximum sentence Swain received.

Swain’s criminal history includes at least three prior felony convictions, including two for drug distribution and one for a felony assault case originally charged as rape and sodomy.

In addition to the criminal case, White has filed a civil lawsuit against Swain, his employer, and Title Max in both Alabama and Georgia.