Colleagues remembered North as a trial lawyer, mentor and public servant.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Lawyers and court officials in Jefferson County are mourning William “Bill” R. North, a longtime Bessemer assistant district attorney who died after falling into Logan Martin Lake during a sailboat race.
North, 64, was close to the end of a long career in public service when he died Sunday, according to people who worked with him. He served in the Bessemer division of the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office and was described by colleagues as a steady courtroom lawyer who helped shape younger attorneys while handling criminal cases for the state.
North fell into the lake Sunday afternoon while serving as a spotter for a sailing race near Pell City. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said he was trying to move from a sailboat to an unoccupied jon boat when he entered the water and did not resurface. Crews searched Sunday and Monday before finding his body just after 11 a.m. Monday near the same place where he went under. The sudden death stunned lawyers who had tried cases with and against him.
Birmingham defense attorney Truman Fitzgerald said he could not believe the news. Fitzgerald described North as a tough prosecutor who took his job seriously but also helped young lawyers on both sides of a case. Fitzgerald recalled facing North in court and said North once pulled him aside to offer guidance. That memory, he said, showed a lawyer who could be firm in the courtroom and still generous with his time outside it.
Jefferson County Circuit Judge David Carpenter said North had been the lead prosecutor in his courtroom for the past 12 years. Carpenter said North was a highly experienced trial lawyer who spent his career representing Alabama in the criminal justice system. He also said North cared about victims and supported treatment programs for offenders in cases where those programs fit. Carpenter said North mentored young attorneys, guided interns and lectured in criminal justice courses at the University of Alabama.
Jefferson County Bessemer Division District Attorney Lynneice O. Washington said North’s death left a void in her office. Washington said North was a dedicated public servant and a cherished member of the office’s legal family. She said she had known him since 2001 and extended condolences to his family, friends and loved ones. The office also identified North as an Auburn University graduate and its longest-serving career prosecutor in the Bessemer division.
North’s death also connected two communities: the Bessemer courthouse where he spent much of his career and the Logan Martin Lake sailing community where the accident happened. State and local agencies joined the search, including ALEA units, Pell City police and fire crews, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office and several rescue squads. Officials have not released a final report on the incident.
As of Tuesday, no funeral details had been announced in the reports reviewed. North’s colleagues continued to describe him as a courtroom leader whose influence reached beyond the cases he handled.
Author note: Last updated June 30, 2026.