Altha Man Guilty in Brutal 2023 Murder

BLOUNTSTOWN – A Calhoun County jury found Charles Matthew Gable guilty of Second-Degree Murder in the September 2023 death of 29-year-old Brittany Jordana Dykes, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Circuit Court Judge Brandon Young set a sentencing date in May.

Calhoun County Chief Prosecutor Bill Wright presented witnesses and evidence proving the defendant and the victim were at the defendant’s residence when an argument broke out Sept. 24, 2023. The evidence showed that the defendant, who was intoxicated, became angry at the victim and repeatedly punched her in the head, face and upper body while also strangling her.

“Brittany and her family deserved to see her killer held accountable and brought to justice,” Wright said. “We hope this verdict, which was the result of a team effort between the Calhoun County Sheriffs Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Calhoun County State Attorney’s Office, will help bring them some relief.”

Medical Examiner Dr. Jay Radtke testified it would have taken at least one minute to strangle the victim.

The defense argued the defendant acted in the heat of the moment and should be found guilty of a lesser crime, like manslaughter. Prosecutor Wright, however, pointed to Dr. Radtke’s testimony that the strangulation alone lasted at least one minute. He directed the jury’s attention to the courtroom clock, waited until the second hand reached the 6, and said, “Let’s see how long one minute is.”

The courtroom fell silent while the second hand ticked away.

“That’s longer than you thought, isn’t it?” Wright said as the minute ended. “That was the longest minute in Brittany’s life. You don’t think while he’s doing that, that he doesn’t know what he’s doing?”

The autopsy results showed Dykes suffered multiple blows to the head and chest, in addition to the injuries caused by strangulation.

The evidence also showed the defendant and another man placed the victim’s body in the trunk of a car overnight. The next day, Gable drove 18 miles and rolled the body into a small creek off the road.