Thursday, the WAAY 31 I-team talked to a man who could’ve killed a triple murder suspect 30 years ago.

Our victim in this case did not want his identity revealed, because that's how dangerous Jimmy Spencer is. He told us he was in the Franklin County Courthouse in 1990 when Jimmy Spencer was sentenced to life in prison. Our victim said he breathed a sigh of relief that day, but that relief is now replaced by anger at the Alabama Parole Board and regrets.

"I'm extremely angry and there is a lot of anguish involved in this. This should have never occurred," said Spencer's original victim from Franklin County.

He tells us it was a January night in 1989 that changed his life. A friend of the man's had just come by and mentioned the police were after Jimmy Spencer and warned him to be careful, because he had been spotted in the area. Our victim said he dozed off on the couch, with a 357 magnum pistol close. He told us at his home in Vina one of the windows wouldn't lock and he's a light sleeper. That night he woke up to strange noises and went to check it out near that window that gave him trouble.

"He [Spencer] was fully inside the house except for his right leg. I thought, I don't want to kill this man. I don't want to kill this intruder but i'm not going to let him get in my home," said the man.

He showed us the gun he used to shoot Spencer with. Spencer already had numerous burglary charges, and was actually out on parole in 1989 when he broke into our victims home, which was a parole violation. People in Franklin County knew how dangerous Spencer could be and our victim said he terrorized the area.

"People in the Vina community were scared. They were actually frightened. They were afraid to leave home and if they did, they were afraid to come back," said the man.

With one shot to the shoulder, our victim took people's fears away. Spencer was caught and sentenced to life. Our victim fought to keep him there. He said he wrote letters to the parole board in 2008 and 2013 after they notified him that Spencer was up for parole, asking the parole board to keep Spencer locked up. He said he was not notified in 2017 about Spencer's parole hearing, Spencer was released in January 2018. He’s charged with killing three people in Guntersville last month.

"They let scum like this out. This is an insult to everyone," he said.

Our victim said it's hard to describe the moment he heard about the new charges against Spencer.

"I cried. Hurt, mad, bitter," he said.

Our victim said he regrets not killing Spencer in 1989.

"Some people might think that's morbid, but that's exactly how I feel about it. Vermon like this need to snuffed out like a candle," said the victim.

We have called the parole board numerous times, and filed multiple open records requests to find out how Spencer fell through the cracks of the justice system. once we get those documents we will let you know.