Sex Offender Sentenced to 21 Years In Prison For Rape of U of M Student

     Jan. 20, 2022 – A man who has been preying on women for more than a decade was sentenced to 21 years in prison Thursday for luring a University of Memphis freshman from her dorm and raping her at a motel, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    Willie James Taylor Jr., 39, was sentenced to 15 years with no parole for rape and six years for promoting prostitution. Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft ordered the sentences to be served consecutively.

     Prosecutors said Taylor has a 15-year history of violence against women and called him “an ongoing threat to the safety of this community, especially to the women of this community.”

    Taylor was convicted last July after jurors heard testimony that in September of 2018 an 18-year-old U of M student was befriended online by a woman working for Taylor who told her she could make money as an escort.

    The student testified that she did not understand the work would require having sex, and that the woman picked her up at her dorm to discuss the matter further. Waiting in the car, however, was Taylor who drove them to a Whitehaven hotel on Winchester where she learned the woman was working for Taylor as a prostitute and as a recruiter.

    The student said they told her that she too would be working for Taylor as a prostitute and that she would be required to give him the money. Taylor then raped her and made her pose for suggestive photos to post online to attract customers. When the student eventually was allowed to leave, she returned to her dorm and called police.

    Taylor has been on the Sex Offender Registry since 2007 for a sexual battery conviction. He also has a pending aggravated rape cold case from 2005 involving a 16-year-old high school student.

    Taylor has criminal convictions in Davidson County for aggravated assault and sexual battery in 2007; domestic assault (bodily injury) in 2013; aggravated assault (strangulation) in 2015; and violation of the Sex Offender Registry in 2014 and in 2016.

    The recent trial was handled by Asst. Dist. Atty. Alyssa Hennig of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Unit (SVU) and by Asst. Dist. Atty. Jamie Kidd of the District Attorney’s Special Prosecution Unit (SPU) Division 8.   

   The SVU prosecutes cases of rape, child sexual abuse, severe physical abuse of children, elder abuse and vulnerable adult abuse. The SPU seeks maximum sentencing for repeat felony offenders.

Man Indicted in Murder, Attempted Murder

       Jan. 20, 2022 – A Memphis man was indicted Thursday on several felony counts, including the shooting death of an acquaintance and the critical wounding of a woman who was hit in the face by a stray bullet while in her kitchen baking a birthday cake, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    A grand jury indicted 30-year-old Robert Earl Williams on first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, reckless endangerment, and convicted felon with a hand gun. He is being held on $2 million bond.

   The shooting occurred around 11 p.m. on Dec. 20, 2020, along Barron Avenue just east of Pendleton Street near Orange Mound.

  Police investigators said Christopher Sutton, 35, and his girlfriend were in the front seat of his car parked on Bradley Street near Barron when an acquaintance of his got into the back seat to discuss a purchase.

  Moments later, they said, Williams pulled a gun and shot Sutton several times in the head. When Sutton’s girlfriend exited the car and began running away, Williams fired several shots at her. She was not hit, but one of the shots went through the kitchen window of a nearby house on Beverly Street at Barron.

  The bullet struck a 52-year-old woman in the side of the face while she was making a cake for her birthday. She was critically injured, but survived her wound. Williams was developed as a suspect and was arrested in October of 2021.

  The case is being handled by Asst. Dist. Atty. Brad Reasonover with the District Attorney’s Vertical Team 3 which handles cases in General Sessions Division 11 and in Criminal Court Division 3.      

Two Men Indicted in Killing of Young Dolph Set for Arraignment Today in Criminal Court

Jan. 18, 2022 – Two Memphis men – Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith - indicted in the November shooting death of local rapper Young Dolph are scheduled to be arraigned today in Criminal Court, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

     Johnson, 23, a Memphis rapper known as Straight Drop, and Smith, 32, have been indicted on counts of first-degree premeditated murder, attempted first-degree murder, convicted felon in possession of a firearm, employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony, and theft of property over $10,000.

     The victim in the attempted murder count is Young Dolph’s brother, who was with him at the time of the shooting. The theft count relates to the getaway vehicle used in the shooting, a vehicle that had been taken in a carjacking a week earlier.

     Both defendants are being held without bond in the Shelby County Jail.

     Johnson was arrested last week near Indianapolis after the U.S. Marshals Service received a tip that he was traveling on a highway near Brazil, Ind., just east of Terre Haute. He and a passenger were taken into custody without incident.

     Johnson waived extradition and was returned to Memphis last Thursday. Smith was extradited last week from DeSoto County, Miss., where had been held on a theft charge since Dec. 9.

    Both defendants have criminal histories.

    Smith was convicted in 2011 of attempted aggravated robbery and was sentenced to three years in prison. In 2018 he was charged with aggravated kidnapping in a domestic violence case, but a grand jury declined to indict.

   Johnson also faces charges of violation of supervised release on a 2019 federal gun conviction and violation of the Violent Juvenile Sex Offender Registry for an aggravated rape and aggravated robbery case handled in Juvenile Court in 2015 at age 17. A petition by prosecutors to have him tried as an adult was denied by a judge following a transfer hearing. He was placed in state custody and was released before his 19th birthday.      

   On Jan. 31, 2017, Johnson, then 18, fired an assault into a group of people at a bowling alley, striking three people. He was arrested 10 days later and was held on $250,000 bond. Then, on:

·        May 2, 2017, Johnson pled guilty to three counts of aggravated assault and was sentenced to five years in prison on each, with the sentences to be served concurrently; after serving nine months, Johnson’s petition for probation was granted by the judge;

·        May 15, 2018, Johnson arrested on gun and marijuana charges, and was released on $7,500 bond set by a judge; prosecutors filed a petition to revoke his probation, resulting in his re-arrest a week later;

·        May 25, 2018, Johnson was released on a new $15,000 bond set by the court; two months later federal prosecutors took Johnson’s state gun case under Project Safe Neighborhoods; a federal indictment and conviction followed;

·        Feb. 21, 2019, Johnson’s state bond was revoked and a judge ordered his state sentence to be served concurrently with a federal sentence; Johnson served just over two years in federal prison and was granted supervised release by the Federal Bureau of Prisons in May of 2021.

     On Nov. 17, 2021, Johnson and Smith drove to Makeda’s Cookies at 2370 Airways Blvd. and fired multiple gunshots at Young Dolph, 36, whose given name is Adolph Robert Thornton Jr. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His younger brother who was with him was not seriously injured.

     Shundale Barnett, 26, who was with Johnson when he was arrested in Indiana, is facing charges that include accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Barnett, a Memphis native, lives in Dallas and is believed to have helped Johnson avoid capture in recent weeks as they travelled to locations in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Hampton, Va.

     The case are being handled by Chief Prosecutor Paul Hagerman and by Asst. Dist. Attys. Austin Scofield and Joey Griffith of the District Attorney’s Crime Strategies & Narcotics Prosecution Unit.

    The CSNPU handles cases involving gang members and violent crimes, including homicides, aggravated robberies, kidnappings, rapes, and narcotics trafficking.

Man Indicted in Murder of Ex and Friend

     Jan. 14, 2022 – A man who attacked his former girlfriend and a male friend at her home and then returned five hours later to kill them both has been indicted on first-degree murder charges, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    A grand jury indicted 27-year-old Corey Lurry on two counts of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, aggravated assault, domestic assault, and convicted felon in possession of a handgun. He is being held without bond.

   Police detectives said that shortly after midnight on Dec. 6, 2021, Lurry forced his way in the front door of a residence in the 3400 block of Douglass where he began attacking his former girlfriend, Kenya Baskin, 30.

   Her friend, Jeramy Edwards, 30, tried to intervene, but fell to the floor as Lurry pulled her outside, punched her in the face and threatened to kill her as he tried to force her into his trunk. Lurry left when Ms. Baskin said she was calling police.

   About five hours later, police received several calls of shots being fired in the area of Prescott and Douglass, and Highland and Douglass, near the residence where the assault occurred.

    Then, about three hours later at 8:15 a.m. that morning, police again were called, this time to the residence address where they found Ms. Baskin and Mr. Edwards dead from multiple gunshot wounds. She was in the driver’s seat of her car in the driveway, and he was on the ground near the vehicle.

    Lurry was identified as a suspect and was taken into custody a short time later.

     The case is being handled by Asst. Dist. Atty. Leslie Fouche of the District Attorney’s Special Prosecution Unit 7 which seeks maximum sentencing for repeat felony offenders.  

Man Indicted in Killing of Young Dolph

     Jan. 11, 2022 – A grand jury Tuesday indicted a Memphis man on first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of local rapper Young Dolph in November, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    Cornelius Smith, 32, was indicted on additional counts of attempted first-degree murder, convicted felon in possession of a firearm, employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony, and theft of property over $10,000.

    Smith is being held without bond.

    He was arrested on Dec. 9 in Southaven on an auto-theft warrant involving the white Mercedes Benz vehicle used in the killing of Young Dolph, 36, whose given name was Adolph Robert Thornton Jr.

   The white 2014 Mercedes vehicle was taken in a carjacking on Nov. 10, 2021, at a gas station in the 2800 block of Kirby Road. The vehicle was found on Nov. 20 behind a residence in the 1100 block of Bradley in Orange Mound where a tipster said it was abandoned shortly after the homicide on Nov. 17.

   Smith was extradited Tuesday and transferred to the Shelby County Jail from the DeSoto County Jail in Hernando where he had been held since his arrest.

   The victim in the attempted murder count was Young Dolph’s brother who was with him at the time of the shooting.

   Earlier this month, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Memphis Police Department, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and CrimeStoppers of Memphis announced a reward of up to $15,000 is being offered for Justin Johnson, 23, who they said also is a suspect in the murder of Young Dolph.

    Johnson, also of Memphis, announced on social media recently that he planned to turn himself in on Monday (Jan. 10), but that did not happen. Johnson, a rapper known as Straight Drop, also has an outstanding warrant for violation of supervised federal release related to a weapons conviction.

   The case is being handled by Chief Prosecutor Paul Hagerman and by Asst. Dist. Attys. Austin Scofield and Joey Griffith of the District Attorney’s Crime Strategies & Narcotics Prosecution Unit.

    The CSNPU handles cases involving gang members and violent crimes, including homicides, aggravated robberies, kidnappings, rapes, and narcotics trafficking.

Woman Indicted in Child’s Death at Party

     Jan. 11, 2022 – A Shelby County woman has been indicted on criminal charges in the death of an 11-year-old girl who was accidentally shot at a birthday party last summer with a handgun her friends found in a kitchen drawer, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    A grand jury indicted Rakasha Sims, 30, on criminally negligent homicide, two counts of aggravated child neglect, and one count of aggravated parental or custodial child endangerment. She is being held on $65,000 bond.

    The incident occurred on July 7, 2021, at Sims’ apartment on Nash Drive in southeast Shelby County near Stateline Road where her daughter was having a sleepover birthday party with three friends.

    Five children, including her daughter and her 4-year-old son, were left alone and unsupervised in the apartment when one of the girls found the loaded pistol while looking for silverware in the kitchen drawers.

   Investigators from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said the girls passed the gun around and that it accidentally discharged as one of them was putting it back in the drawer. The shot struck 11-year-old Madison Jones in the head, killing her.

   The case is being handled by Asst. Dist. Attys. Dru Carpenter and Lessie Rainey of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Unit (SVU) which prosecutes cases involving rape, sexual abuse, and severe physical abuse of child victims, as well as elder abuse and vulnerable adult abuse.

   The SVU was created as an expansion of the multi-agency Child Protection Investigative Team or CPIT.

Two Men Indicted in Fatal Overdose Cases

Dec. 21, 2021 – Two alleged drug dealers have been indicted on murder charges in unrelated death-by-distribution cases in which three people died from fentanyl overdoses, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

   A grand jury indicted Timothy Dunner, 39, of Raleigh on one count of second-degree murder and possession of a controlled substance, to wit fentanyl, with intent to distribute.

   He is accused of providing a lethal dose of fentanyl to 20-year-old Hayley Moss on May 19 this year. She was found dead at her residence on Fluss Road in Bartlett. The cause of death was acute ethanol and fentanyl intoxication.

   The case was investigated by the Bartlett Police Department.

   A grand jury also indicted 30-year-old Hunter Logan of Arlington on two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of sale of a controlled substance, to wit fentanyl, with intent to distribute.

    He is charged with providing fatal doses of fentanyl to Michael Baker, 30, who was found dead on April 12, 2021, at his home on Green Hollow Lane in Bartlett.

    The second victim, John A. Ozment II, 29, was found dead from a fentanyl overdose on Aug. 2 this year in his garage on Wood Mills Cove in Cordova.

   The investigations were conducted by the Memphis Police Department Organized Crime Unit and by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

    The cases are being prosecuted by Asst. Dist. Atty. Joey Griffith of the District Attorney’s Crime Strategies & Narcotics Prosecution Unit which handles cases involving gang members and violent crimes, including homicides, robberies, rapes, aggravated assaults and narcotics trafficking.

Mother Guilty in Stabbing Deaths of 4 Children

Dec. 21, 2021 – The mother of four young children found stabbed to death in 2016 in their southeast Shelby County apartment was found guilty Wednesday by a judge who rejected her defense of insanity, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

      Criminal Court Judge James Lammey Jr. said Shanynthia Gardner, now 34, could appreciate the wrongfulness of her actions when she stabbed to death four of her children whose ages ranged from four years to five months. Her 7-year-old son escaped from their apartment and ran to neighbors for help.

      In a non-jury bench trial last week, Gardner’s attorneys argued that she should be found not guilty by reason of insanity. State prosecutors agreed that she has a mental disease, but that she understood what she was doing was wrong.

        “Our position from day one is that she has a mental disease, but we’ve always felt that she could appreciate the wrongfulness of her actions,” said Chief Prosecutor Eric Christensen of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Unit. “Our goal was to get justice for these four babies – Tallen, Sya, Sahvi and Yazhi.”

     Gardner, who has been in custody since the incident, is scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 28. Each of the four first-degree murder counts carries a life sentence.

     The stabbings occurred around noon on July 1, 2016, at the family’s apartment near hacks Cross Road and East Shelby Drive. Gardner was arrested at the scene.

     Shelby County Sheriff’s Office investigators said the victims - son Tallen, 4, and daughters Sya, 3, Sahvi, 2, and Yazhi, 5 months – were found dead at the scene from severe stab wounds. Two children were found in a bedroom and two in the living room where the youngest was found in her car seat.

     She was found guilty on four counts each of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, murder in the perpetration of aggravated child abuse, aggravated child neglect involving a deadly weapon, murder in the perpetration of aggravated child neglect involving a deadly weapon, aggravated child endangerment involving a deadly weapon and murder in the perpetration of aggravated child endangerment involving a deadly weapon.

     The case was handled by Chief Prosecutor Christensen and Asst. Dist. Atty. Dru Carpenter of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Unit which prosecutes cases of child sexual abuse and severe physical abuse of child victims; rape and aggravated rape of adult victims, and abuse of elderly and vulnerable adults.   SVU reviews child-victim cases with Shelby County’s multi-agency Child Protection Investigative Team.

Man Sentenced for Killing Woman in Club

     Dec. 21, 2021 – A 59-year-old man has been sentenced to 33 years in prison in the shooting death of a woman during an altercation at a South Memphis nightspot in 2018, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    A Criminal Court jury in October convicted Ricky Hunter on counts of second-degree murder and convicted felon in possession of a handgun. Judge John Campbell sentenced him this month to 25 years without parole on the murder conviction and eight years for the handgun conviction.

   The shooting occurred around 11:30 p.m. on July 3, 2018, at Brenda’s Rhythm & Blues Club on Walker Avenue near South Bellevue Boulevard.

    Witnesses said Hunter got into an argument with Carolyn Thomas and then punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground. She got up and threw a beer bottle at him. The bottle missed him, but Hunter pulled a handgun and shot her in the shoulder.

   Witnesses said Hunter stood over her and pulled the trigger again, but the gun did not fire. They said he then left the bar, laughing as he walked out. Thomas, 48, was taken to a hospital where she died several hours later.

    Hunter is was convicted in 1998 in Florida of sexual battery with a deadly weapon involving a family member, and was on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry.

    The case was handled by Asst. Dist. Attys. Nicole Germain and Joey Griffith of the District Attorney’s Crime Strategies & Narcotics Prosecution Unit which handles cases involving gangs and violent crimes.

Woman Indicted in Husband’s Shooting Death

Dec. 17, 2021 – A family evening of karaoke and drinking in September ended in an argument and gunfire resulting in the death of a 41-year-old man and now murder charges against his wife, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

   A grand jury this week indicted Evanny Ricchay Littlejohn, 37, on a count of first-degree murder. She is being held on $100,000 bond.

   The incident occurred on Sept. 21 this year at a residence in the 4800 block of Applestone Cove in Whitehaven where a small-scale party abruptly ended in an argument among family members.

    Witnesses said Littlejohn pulled a pistol and shot her husband, Kantrell Littlejohn, in the chest. He was taken to a hospital where he died a short time later.

    The case is being handled by Asst. Dist. Atty. Ashley Finch of the District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Unit (DVU) which prosecutes cases of domestic assault and homicide committed by intimate partners in General Sessions Division 10 and in Criminal Court Division 5.

Man Convicted in Home-Invasion Murder

  Dec. 17, 2021 – A 35-year-old man was convicted Thursday of first-degree murder and other felony counts related to a 2014 home-invasion in which the homeowner was shot to death and his girlfriend was wounded, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    A Criminal Court jury found Thaddeus Money guilty of first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, especially aggravated robbery, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary (acting in concert), and employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony.

    The murder conviction carries a sentence of life in prison. Money will be sentenced on the other offenses in January by Judge Chris Craft.

    Two other men charged in the case are awaiting trial.

   The incident occurred shortly after 8 p.m. on Nov. 28, 2014, at a residence in the 600 block of N. Walnut Bend Road near Trinity Road in Cordova. The victims had just returned home when two gunmen in stocking masks forced their way inside and demanded money.

   Homeowner Jarmelle ‘JoJo’ Jones, 26, tried to disarm one of the intruders, but was shot in the chest. His girlfriend, then 27, was wounded in the leg while she was praying out loud.

   The gunmen took money, a cellphone and the woman’s keys as they ran out of the house and drove away in Jones’s black Dodge Charger. The car was found burning at 4:30 the next morning on Windemere Road in Raleigh.

  Money was developed as a suspect and was taken into custody in 2016.

   Jones was a graduate of the University of Memphis where he was a popular entrepreneur, mentor to young children, party promoter and a manager on the basketball team during its run to the final four championship game.

    The case was handled by Chief Prosecutor Paul Hagerman and Asst. Dist. Atty. Austin Scofield of the District Attorney’s Crime Strategies & Narcotics Prosecution Unit (CSNPU) which prosecutes cases in General Sessions Division 8 and in Criminal Court Division 6.

    CSNPU cases involve gang members and violent crime, including homicides, robberies, rapes, and narcotics trafficking.  

Cordova Man Indicted in Officer’s 2015 Death

Dec. 15, 2021 – A Cordova man who killed an off-duty Memphis police officer in an exchange of gunfire six years ago has been indicted on a count of second-degree murder, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    A grand jury on Tuesday returned the felony indictment against Lorenzo Clark, 42, who was a neighbor of the officer, Terence Olridge, on Long Shadow Lane. Clark’s bond is set at $500,000.

    The incident began around 12:40 p.m. on Oct. 11, 2015, when Olridge, 31, drove past Clark’s house on his way to start his shift. The two men exchanged words, prompting Olridge to make a U-turn and pull to a stop in front of Clark’s home.

    More words were exchanged and then both men fired their handguns. Olridge was struck in the chest, the right forearm, and the left wrist. He ran to his home nearby and collapsed. He was taken to a hospital where was pronounced dead shortly before 2 p.m.

    Clark gave several different accounts of the shooting, but investigators did not have enough evidence to charge him at the time. Further investigation and crime scene analysis, however, yielded forensic evidence to support charges.

    He was arrested today by the U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force.

    The case is being handled by Deputy Dist. Atty. Gen. Ray Lepone.

Two Indicted in Gang-Related Killing

Dec. 14, 2021 – Two men have been indicted in a gang-related fatal shooting that occurred in July in the drive-through lane of a Midtown restaurant, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    A grand jury indicted Jonathan Parker, 21, and Stewart Sumlin, 19, on second-degree murder, two counts of attempted second-degree murder, and one count of employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony.

    Parker also was indicted on counts of tampering with evidence and theft of property over $10,000. He and Sumlin are being held in the Shelby County Jail.

    Investigators said that shortly after 1 a.m. on July 9, 2021, gunfire was heard involving two vehicles outside of the Cookout Restaurant in the 1400 block of Union Avenue at McNeil.

   One vehicle sped to the nearby emergency room of Methodist University Hospital where rear-seat passenger Carell Robinson, 19, was admitted with a gunshot wound to the head. He later was pronounced dead.

   Parker and Sumlin, both gang members, were developed as suspects and were charged and arrested a month later. Both gave statements admitting their involvement in the case.

   The case is being prosecuted by Asst. Dist. Atty. Joey Griffith of the District Attorney’s Crime Strategies & Narcotics Prosecution Unit (CSNPU) which handles cases in General Sessions Division 8 (Drug Court) and in Criminal Court Division 6. The Unit handles cases involving violent crimes, including homicides, aggravated robberies, kidnappings, rapes, and narcotics trafficking.

Annetta Retiring, Will Miss Most of Us

  Dec. 9, 2021 – It’s going to be quieter around the office after Dec. 30. That’s Annetta Jackson’s retirement date after 24½ years in the office as a clerk, a receptionist and a daily dispenser of unvarnished free opinions, advice and observations on life in the office.

    “It’s time,” she said. “I’m ready to not get up in the morning and come in. I’m not going to miss everybody, but there’s a lot of people I’m going to miss.”

    Annetta was working as a temp in probation and parole on the 8th floor at 201 Poplar and was delivering mail to the DA’s 3rd floor office when she heard about a job opening there.

    A short time later, on July 1, 1997, she was hired as a clerk helping investigators get dockets ready for court.

    “I guess it was my charming personality,” Annetta said with a laugh. “It was something new to me and I really enjoyed it. I was always watching Madlock and Perry Mason and Columbo so it was interesting to see how a criminal prosecution office worked. It was the Lord shining on me.”

    Admittedly outspoken, Annetta said she “bumped heads” with some colleagues over “little bitty stuff” involving paperwork and procedures, but that after a while life in the office was all good…mostly.

    Once when a prosecutor brushed a stack of files off his desk and onto the floor because they were not alphabetized, Annetta refused to pick them up.

     As she recalled: “I told him ‘I’m not your wife, I’m not your maid and I’m not your housekeeper. You have to clean up your own mess.’”

    On another occasion, Annetta recalls helping a prosecutor look for a court document, a time-consuming and futile search that she finally declared to be over.

    “I told him ‘You need to stop beating this dead horse. It’s already dead.’”

    After two dozen years I can say with some authority that Annetta has the personality and spunk of 10 people. She is always willing to pitch in to get the job done and when holidays roll around, Annetta is the first one volunteering to organize a gathering—even down to telling you exactly what to bring. You can’t help but smile when you see her in the office –mainly because of the twinkle in her eyes and the fact that you knew she was up to something. We will miss her greatly.

    Annetta was born in Chicago and grew up in Memphis with her three siblings.

    “Daddy always told us to speak our minds, be truthful, own up to what you do and everything will work out,” she said. “I tried my best to raise my children the same way. Don’t back down, but don’t start a fight. And don’t disrespect anyone.”

    Her two daughters include Anissa Jackson Smith, a supervisor at a healthcare laundry service, and Brandy Jackson, a senior financial analyst at the Memphis Police Department.

    Annetta enjoyed working with the public as the receptionist in the Lower Level, though that too required toning down her natural desire to share her unfiltered opinions.

   “One day a lady who had been beaten came in with both eyes swollen and she was going to drop charges against the guy who did it,” Annetta said. “I told her ‘You can’t even see, and you’re dropping charges on somebody? (Chief Prosecutor) Mike Boyle looked at me and said ‘Annetta, you can’t say that.’ I said ‘Well, look at her.’

   “I kinda got the hang of dealing with the public, but it took me a minute.”

   Annetta plans to stay busy in retirement by continuing to spoil two young great-grandchildren, cooking and trying new recipes, reading mysteries and traveling abroad. In recent years she has visited Spain (twice) and Italy, and would like to make the trip to Paris that she had to cancel last year because of Covid restrictions.

   She also will work hard to avoid creating an international incident like the one that nearly occurred in an Italian gelato shop just off of Vatican Square.

     “They served it in a cone, but I told the store owner I wanted mine in a cup,” Annetta said. “He said cone and I said ‘I’m paying for it and I want it in a cup.’ Then he said, ‘Get of my shop.’ He didn’t call the police or anything.

    “But I was really nice in Spain.”                

Employee Indicted in Killing of Theft Suspect

Dec. 13, 2021 – A convenience store employee has been indicted on criminal charges in the shooting death of a shoplifter in May near the University of Memphis campus, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    Robert Lee Buie, 53, was indicted by a grand jury on counts of second-degree murder, convicted felon in possession of a firearm, and employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony.

    He is free on $40,000 bond.

   The incident occurred around 7 p.m. on May 16, 2021, at Scootie’s One-Stop in the 3000 block of Walker Ave. where Buie worked as a stock clerk and security guard.

    Investigators said Christopher Nettles, 36, entered the store, grabbed an armful of clothing merchandise, and ran for the exit. A store clerk quickly locked the exit and Buie, armed with a handgun, then confronted the shoplifter.

    He ordered Nettles to get on the ground, but told investigators the suspect refused and instead moved towards him. Buie then shot Nettles once in the chest. He was taken to a hospital where he died about an hour later.

    The case is being handled by Felony Asst. Will Cranford of the District Attorney’s Vertical Team 2 which prosecutes cases in General Sessions 9 and in Criminal Court Division 2.

Man Convicted in Long-Term Rape of Daughter

Dec. 10, 2021 – The biological father of a young woman was convicted Friday of sexually assaulting her over a three-year period beginning when she was 13 years old, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    A Criminal Court jury convicted 47-year-old Myles Wiseman III on two counts of statutory rape by an authority figure, two counts of incest, and one count of rape.

    He remains in custody and will be sentenced later by Judge Lee Coffee.

   According to trial testimony this week, Wiseman began sexually assaulting his daughter in 2012 when she was 13, assaults that continued until she was 16. She said her father frequently had sex with her at her aunt’s home near Lamar and Pendleton, and often in his work van.

    In 2015 the young girl went to the Child Advocacy Center where she disclosed the sexual assaults by her father. After his indictment in 2016, Wiseman told his daughter on a recorded jail call that “if you tell the truth I’m going away for 25 years.”

    Wiseman also encouraged his father and girlfriend to try to convince his daughter not to come to court and to write a letter recanting her statements about the sexual encounters that began soon after he was released from prison on a previous carjacking and kidnapping conviction.

    The case was handled by Asst. Dist. Attys. Dru Carpenter and Alyssa Hennig of the District Attorney’s Special Victim’s Unit which prosecutes cases of rape, child sexual abuse, severe physical abuse of child victims, elder abuse, and vulnerable adult abuse.    

Motorist Indicted in Officer’s Death

Dec. 10, 2021 – A Memphis man has been indicted on aggravated vehicular homicide, reckless driving, and drunken driving stemming from a crash in March that killed a Memphis police officer who had just gotten off duty, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

     The grand jury indicted Robert Earl Jackson, 54, who is being held on $100,000 bond. The two-vehicle crash occurred around 10 p.m. on March 8, 2021.

     Officer Nicholas Blow, 31, was leaving his shift at the Raines Station Precinct in Whitehaven when his car was struck broadside by Jackson whose pickup truck was eastbound on Raines Road.

      Blow was hospitalized in critical condition and died from his injuries about five hours later. He joined the Memphis Police Department in 2018 and had served more than six years in the Army, including two deployments to Iraq.

     Jackson, whose BAC measured .201, has a prior DUI conviction from Mississippi.

     The case is being handled by Asst. Dist. Atty. Kenya Smith of the District Attorney’s DUI Unit which works with law enforcement to reduce alcohol-related injuries and fatalities in Shelby County.

Man Convicted of Raping Step-Daughter

Dec. 9, 2021 – A 62-year-old man was convicted Thursday of raping his teenage step-daughter repeatedly over a five-year period during which time he fathered her child, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    A Criminal Court jury convicted Wendolyn Lee on felony counts of rape, statutory rape by an authority figure, and incest. He remains in custody and will be sentenced in January by Judge Chris Craft.

   In testimony this week, witnesses said Lee began having sex with the girl in 2010 when she was 14 and that it continued for five years. In 2012, at age 16, she gave birth to his child.

   Lee admitted to being the father of the child, but told investigators he never had sex with his stepdaughter, and that she had used his sperm to impregnate herself.

   Lee faces similar criminal charges involving the victim’s younger sister, who have given birth to two children by Lee who is also her stepfather. Lee has said that, too, was the result of the victim impregnating herself with his sperm, and not the result of him raping her.

    The case this week was prosecuted by Asst. Dist. Attys. Abby Wallace and Leslie Byrd of the District Attorney’s Special Prosecution unit which seeks maximum sentencing for repeat felony offenders.

Sex Offender Sentenced in 2006 Rape

     Dec. 9, 2021 – A repeat sex offender convicted earlier this year in the 2006 rape of a woman near Downtown has been sentenced to 25 years in prison with no possibility for parole, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

     Defendant Joshua Beadle was sentenced Wednesday by Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft.

    Beadle, 31, who has been incarcerated since 2015 for other sex crimes, was convicted of breaking into an apartment on Jefferson Place near North Danny Thomas where he raped a 22-year-old woman, beat her with a chair and threatened to kill her.

   The attack occurred around 5 a.m. on Jan. 30, 2006.

   A sexual assault kit was prepared and the DNA of an unidentified male from the kit was entered into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System database. The sample was monitored for a match and in April of 2015 the DNA was identified as belonging to Beadle.

    Beadle is on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry as a violent offender. He has six prior felony convictions, including statutory rape, attempted aggravated sexual battery, violation of the Sex Offender Registry, two counts of burglary of a building, and theft of property over $1,000.

   He also has pending cases, including aggravate rape, attempted rape, soliciting sexual exploitation of a minor, and aggravated assault. 

    The trial was handled by Asst. Dist. Attys. Abby Wallace and Chris Whitten.  

Boyfriend Indicted in Young Woman’s Death

Dec. 8, 2021 – The boyfriend of a young mother who was found shot to death this summer in a South Memphis rooming house has been indicted by a grand jury, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    Torian Williams, 24, was indicted on a second-degree murder count and is being held on $100,000 bond.

    An investigation showed that around 7:25 a.m. on June 22 this year residents of the rooming house in the 500 block of E. McLemore St. heard an argument and a gunshot from the couple’s room.

    Police found 20-year-old Demya Gordon on the floor with a gunshot wound to the neck. Her 2-year-old daughter who was lying on the nearby bed was not injured. The victim was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead a short time later.

   Williams was arrested and charged a week later.

   The case is being handled by Asst. Dist. Atty. Ashley Finch of the District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Unit which prosecutes cases involving domestic assault and homicide committed by intimate partners.