Man sentenced in kidnapping of woman who escaped car trunk

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A man has been sentenced to life without parole after being convicted of kidnapping an Alabama woman who later escaped by jumping from the trunk of a moving car.

Al.com reports 29-year-old Manuel Ali Towns was sentenced Monday after being found guilty of first-degree kidnapping and other charges. The sentence was handed down because of Towns’ prior felony convictions.

Brittany Diggs has testified that in 2017 Towns abducted her at gunpoint outside of her Birmingham apartment. She said Towns threatened to rape and kill her.

Diggs said Towns stuffed her into the trunk of her car and went to several ATMs to withdraw money with her card. She testified she used the emergency latch to pop the trunk and jumped out as the suspect pulled out of a convenience store.