Houseguest Indicted in Murder of Couple

Feb. 22, 2022 – A 34-year-old man has been indicted in the shooting deaths last year of a couple with whom he had been living in their Berclair-area home in northeast Memphis, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

Defendant Michael Barkley was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder and is being held without bond.

The shootings occurred around 4 a.m. on Sept. 19, 2021, at the residence in the 3800 block of Macon Road where Barkley had been living that summer with Leander Maxwell, 38, and his wife, Keisha Marshall, 33. Investigators said Barkley had been told he would have to move out by the end of the month.

They said Barkley walked into the couple’s bedroom that morning and began shooting, striking Maxwell twice and Marshall four times. The victims managed to run from the house, but Marshall collapsed on the sidewalk. Maxwell made it to a nearby gas station where he asked the owner to call police.

The victims were taken to hospitals where they died a few hours later.

Barkley was identified as a suspect and was arrested that same morning at a relative’s home in the 600 block of Hudson St. in the Binghampton area.

The case is being handled by Chief Prosecutor Carrie Bush and by Asst. Dist. Atty. Chris Whitten of the District Attorney’s Vertical Team 4 which handles cases in General Sessions Division 12 and in Criminal Court Division 4.

Mother’s Boyfriend Convicted in Baby’s Death

Feb. 21, 2022 – A Whitehaven man who reported that he discovered his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son face down in a bathtub in an apparent drowning has been convicted of causing the boy’s death from a beating, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

A Criminal Court jury found Marterrius Hite, 29, guilty of murder in the perpetration of aggravated child abuse, murder in the perpetration of aggravated child neglect, and on additional felony counts of aggravated child abuse and aggravated child neglect.

Judge Lee Coffee sentenced Hite to life in prison on the murder convictions, and will sentence him on the other convictions on March 31.

According to trial testimony, Hite called first responders on July 13, 2015, to a Whitehaven apartment and reported he found Deandre Davis floating in an upstairs bathtub and not breathing. The boy was taken to Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center where he died a short time later.

Police and medical personnel noticed cuts and bruising on the baby’s body, and Hite conceded that he had grabbed the baby by the neck and “popped him several times with a belt on his stomach and legs” before he found him in the bathtub.

A belt the defendant was wearing had a pattern of studs on it that matched multiple injuries of the boy’s back and legs.

The medical examiner later reported finding head trauma, brain hemorrhaging, numerous internal injuries in the abdomen, and scars and wounds in various stages of healing on the boy’s torso, legs and right arm.

A doctor for the defense told the jury the boy died from cancer.

The jury returned its verdict on Friday night. The case took years to bring to trial primarily because of extensive medical reports gathered and shared by both sides, and then additional delays were brought on by Covid restrictions that have limited trials in the past two years.

The case was handled by Chief Prosecutor Eric Christensen and Asst. Dist. Atty. Dru Carpenter of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Unit (SVU) which prosecutes cases that include rape, child sexual abuse, severe physical abuse of children, elder abuse, and vulnerable adult abuse.

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

Shooting at Frayser Apartments Leads to Murder Indictment

Feb. 19, 2022 – An argument between two women that escalated into a fight last year ended abruptly when their boyfriends intervened and exchanged gunfire, leaving one of the boyfriends dead, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

On Thursday a grand jury indicted 25-year-old Jaydevin Benson on one count of second-degree murder, three counts of attempted second-degree murder, and three counts of employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony. He is being held on $250,000 bond.

Investigators said the shooting occurred on the afternoon of Oct. 5, 2021, at the Ridgecrest Apartments on Rangeline Road in Frayser. Two women, ages 29 and 26, got into an argument that turned physical.

One woman’s boyfriend, Amise Gales, tried to intervene and moments later Benson stepped out of his nearby apartment with a handgun and began shooting in his direction. Also nearby was the one-year-old baby of one of the women and the baby’s grandmother.

Gales returned fire. He was struck in the chest and then got into his car to drive away. The car struck an iron gate at the apartment’s entrance and hit a tree. Gales, 24, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The case is being handled by Chief Prosecutor Carrie Bush and by Asst. Dist. Atty. Gen. Chris Whitten of the District Attorney’s Vertical Team 4 which handles cases in General Sessions Division 12 and in Criminal Court Division 4.

Man Convicted as Major Heroin Supplier

Feb. 21, 2022 – A 59-year-old man described as a major heroin supplier for a Memphis street gang has been convicted on two criminal conspiracy counts, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

A Criminal Court jury convicted Derrick Johnson on the felony counts of conspiracy to possess with intent to sell heroin, a controlled substance, over 150 grams. Johnson was taken into custody after his bond was revoked by Judge Glenn Wright. He faces 15 to 25 years in prison on each count when he is sentenced in March.

Johnson was arrested following an undercover investigation by the Memphis Police Department’s Organized Crime Unit. According to evidence in the trial, Johnson was one of several major suppliers of heroin for the Dixie Homes Murda Squad in 2017.

The investigation outlined the narcotics supply chain that included gang members using multiple cellphones in arranging to drop off large amounts of money at Johnson’s home on Goodland Avenue in exchange for heroin that was sometimes mixed with fentanyl.

Investigators said Johnson sometimes sold up to 500 grams – more than a pound – of heroin to the street level dealers in the gang. Another dealer and some two dozen gang members have been convicted or pled guilty in the case.

The case was handled by Asst. Dist. Atty. Chris Scruggs of the District Attorney’s Crime Strategies & Narcotics Prosecution Unit which handles cases that include gangs, violent crimes and narcotics trafficking.

I-40 Traffic Stop Yields Two Kilograms of Cocaine

An Illinois woman who was stopped on I-40 for a traffic violation Thursday is facing drug-trafficking charges after officers found cocaine hidden in her rental car. 

Johnie Carter, director of the West Tennessee Drug Task Force (WTDTF), said 47-year-old Jamila Akita-Odebor of Chicago was driving a rental car when she was stopped just before noon Thursday on I-40 at the Fayette and Shelby County line.

Carter said the illegal drug shipment of 4.4 pounds has a wholesale street value of close to $70,000.

“Drug Seizures are rapidly on the rise,” Carter said. “We have already surpassed 2021 seizures in just the first 45 days of this year.  I would venture an educated guess to say that 90 percent or more of West Tennessee’s violent crime and property crime are in some way connected to the sale and / or use of drugs.”

He said Akita-Obedor also had small amounts of ecstasy, methamphetamine, and marijuana in the vehicle.

 Carter said that when Task Force officers developed reasonable suspicion that Akita-Obedor likely was involved in criminal activity, they conducted a canine sniff on the vehicle which led agents to discover the cocaine concealed in the vehicle’s trunk area. 

 Carter said it is believed the contraband was being taken to Ohio from Texas. Akita-Odebor was taken to the Fayette County Jail.

 The WTDTF operates by joint agreement in the 28th, 29th and 30th Judicial Districts and also includes members from the Fayette, Haywood and Tipton County Sheriff’s Departments and the Memphis and Germantown Police Departments.

Fayette County, which is in the 25th Judicial District, includes about 15 miles of I-40.

Drug Task Force Makes Largest Meth Bust in Gibson County History

HUMBOLDT, TN. – A Madison County traffic stop led West Tennessee Drug Task Force Agents to serve a search warrant on a home in Humboldt early Sunday morning where they found assorted illegal drugs, including 30 pounds of methamphetamine.

 Johnie Carter, director of the West Tennessee Drug Task Force (WTDTF), said the Task Force, Madison County Sheriff’s Office and the Humboldt Police Department were involved in the seizure that also included 35 pounds of marijuana and four ounces of cocaine.  

 He said it was believed to be the largest single seizure of methamphetamine in Gibson County history.

 Carter said Madison County deputies stopped a Mercedes late Saturday night and that as the driver provided his driver license deputies smelled an overwhelming odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. When they tried to investigate further, the driver fled the scene at a high rate of speed.

 Carter said deputies called Humboldt Police Department to check the registered address of the Mercedes and Humboldt officers went to 2519 Vine Street in Humboldt where they made contact with a resident. While at the residence, officers made observations leading them to call the Drug Task Force for assistance. Agents from the 28th Judicial District out of Humboldt arrived quickly to find probable cause for a search warrant. 

 Carter said Task Force agents then served the search warrant on the address and located the drugs in the home and a vehicle parked outside.  Shwanna Hunt, 37 was arrested and charged with multiple drug felonies.  She has since been released on a $150,000 bond.

 “I spoke to Sheriff Paul Thomas this morning who was the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Task Force for many years before being elected,” Carter said. “Between the two of us, we believe this is the largest meth seizure in the history of Humboldt, Gibson County and quite possibly the 28th Judicial District!

 28th Judicial District Attorney Frederick Agee said, “Our West Tennessee Drug Task Force Agents with the 28th Judicial District have once again done an outstanding job with disrupting drug dealers and drug traffickers. This is one of the biggest meth busts I can recall ever happening in Gibson County. The West Tennessee Drug Trask Force is made of the 28th, 29th, and 30th Judicial Districts and we are committed to disrupting, dismantling, and destroying illegal drug operations.” 

Gibson County Sheriff Paul Thomas said, “This case is a perfect example of how effective our Drug Task Force is in the 28th Judicial District. This dedicated unit is making a huge difference in our community and I'm proud to have been participating in the Task Force since becoming Sheriff. Thanks to all the Agents for their hard work on this case.”

The WTDTF operates by joint agreement in the 28th, 29th and 30th Judicial Districts and also includes members from the Gibson and Haywood County Sheriff’s Offices, Humboldt, Milan and Brownsville Police Departments.

Driver Indicted in Fatal Crash

     Feb.11, 2022 – A 27-year-old Memphis man was indicted on criminal charges Thursday stemming from a two-car crash last year in North Memphis in which the driver of the other vehicle was killed, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    A grand jury indicted Gregerio Dodson on one felony count of reckless vehicular homicide. He is free on $10,000 bond.

   The crash occurred around 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 27. 2021, when Dodson was driving north on North Hollywood Street and crashed into a southbound vehicle driven by Keith A. Davis, 48, of Memphis.

   Davis was pronounced dead at the scene.

   Witnesses told investigators that Dodson was driving at a high rate of speed and failed to yield the right of way when he turned west at Blue Road and struck the victim’s vehicle.

   The case is being handled by Asst. Dist. Atty. Marie Ford of the District Attorney’s Vertical Team 5 which prosecutes cases in General Sessions Division 13 and in Criminal Court Division 9.

Mother Gets Life in Stabbing Deaths of 4 Children

       Feb. 8, 2022 – The mother of four young children who she stabbed to death in 2016 in their southeast Shelby County apartment was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

      In a non-jury trial in December, Criminal Court Judge James Lammey Jr. found that Shanynthia Gardner, 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.

      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.

    “It was important for us to get justice for Martin Gardner and his four beautiful children - Tallen, Sya, Sahvi, and Yahzi,” said Chief Prosecutor Eric Christensen of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Unit. “We returned a photo album to him that was taken into evidence. He was very emotional and said that's all he had left, but that he's glad she can't hurt any more children.”

      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. The bodies of two of the children were found in a bedroom and two others in the living room where the youngest was found in her car seat.

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

    Gardner was sentenced to life on each murder count and to 15 years on each of the other counts. The judge ordered that the sentences run concurrently.

     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.

Mississippi Man Pleads Guilty To 2016 Murder, Other Crimes

Feb. 1, 2022 – A Mississippi man has pled guilty to a series of unrelated violent crimes, including striking a fellow prisoner with a brick, setting fire to the jail on two occasions, and killing an acquaintance in 2016 by stabbing him more than two dozen times, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    Drew Johnson, 30, of Southaven, pled guilty in Criminal Court to first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and two counts of aggravated arson. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility for parole for the murder, and to 15 years in prison for each of the other offenses, all to run concurrently.

    An investigation showed that on April 23, 2016, Calvin Holloway Jr., 25, of Southaven was reported missing and that a friend saw on his Facebook page that he planned to meet with Johnson in an area of southwest Memphis.

   Four days later, authorities discovered Holloway’s body in a field in the 5100 block of Crossfield Road near Weaver Road and West Holmes Road in the Westhaven area of southwest Memphis.

   He had been stabbed more than two dozen times.

   In another case, Johnson pled guilty to attempted first-degree murder related to an attack on Dec. 21, 2021, in with he repeatedly struck another prisoner in the head in the Shelby County Jail.  

  Johnson also pled guilty to setting fires in the jail on May 14, 2019, and again 10 days later.

     Johnson also has a pending murder case in Rankin County, Miss.

    The cases were handled by Asst. Dist. Attys. Leslie Byrd, Alanda Dwyer and Gavin Smith.

Woman Sentenced in Illegal Voting Sign-Up

     Jan. 31, 2022 – A Memphis woman convicted in November of illegally registering to vote in 2019 was sentenced to six years and one day in prison Monday, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    Pamela Moses, 44, has 16 prior criminal convictions and committed the voting offense while on probation. Criminal Court Judge W. Mark Ward said that if she completes programs in prison and maintains good behavior, he would consider placing her on probation after nine months.

     On April 29, 2015, she pled guilty to tampering with evidence and forgery, both felonies, and to misdemeanor counts of perjury, stalking, theft under $500 and escape. She was placed on probation for seven years.

     Under the law, she also was rendered infamous because of her felony convictions and lost her rights of citizenship, including her right to vote. She was permanently deemed ineligible to register and vote in Tennessee because of the tampering with evidence conviction.

    Proof at her trial last November showed that on Sept. 3, 2019, Moses filed a certificate of restoration and application for voter registration with the Shelby County Election Commission, falsely asserting that her sentence had expired and that she was eligible to register to vote. However, Moses was still serving her 2015 sentence on probation at the time she filed the restoration documents. 

    The case was handled by Chief Prosecutor Kirby May of the District Attorney’s Vertical Team 5 which prosecutes cases in General Sessions Division 13 and in Criminal Court Division 9.

Appeal Sought in Payne Sentencing

     Jan. 31, 2022 – Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich has asked the State Attorney General’s Office to appeal a judge’s ruling Monday that convicted double-murderer Pervis Payne’s vacated death sentences issued in 1988 should be served as concurrent life sentences.   

   “We respectfully disagree with Judge Skahan’s interpretation of the new statute that removed the one-year statute of limitations on claims of intellectual disability. The statute does not authorize changing the original trial judge’s ruling that multiple sentences in the case should be consecutive.”

    Last year a state expert examined Payne and available records, and could not say Payne’s intellectual functioning is outside the range for intellectual disability. As a result, the state withdrew its request for a hearing, which meant Payne’s two death sentences were changed to two sentences of life in prison for the murders of Charisse and Lacie Christopher.

    Payne also was convicted of assault to murder 3-year-old Nicholas Christopher, for which he was sentenced to 30 years.

    The Criminal Court judge in 1988 ordered that all three sentences be served consecutively, despite two death sentences, because “we have to anticipate what might occur in the future.”

Suspect Identified by Dying Victim Indicted on First-Degree Murder

Jan. 31, 2022 – A 20-year-old man has been indicted in the death of an estranged friend who identified him as the shooter as the victim was dying outside his Cordova apartment last year, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

     A grand jury indicted Jayden Dorsey on counts of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. He is being without bond.

    Police received a shots-fired call at around 12:30 a.m. on May 12, 2021, at an apartment complex on Carriage Court and found Mark Windrick, 23, with a gunshot wound to his upper thigh.

    He told officers that “J.D. shot me” before being taken to a hospital where he died about two hours later.

    Dorsey, who had worked with Windrick at a moving company, was developed as a suspect and was arrested eight days later. He admitted the shooting and told police he threw the gun he used into the Mississippi River.

   The case is being handled Chief Prosecutor Carrie Bush and Asst. Dist. Atty. Robert Steele of the District Attorney’s Vertical Team 4 which prosecutes cases in General Sessions Division 12 and in Criminal Court Division 4.

Couple Indicted in Murder of Boy, 7

Jan. 31, 2022 – A young man and woman have been indicted in a drive-by shooting last Fourth of July in North Memphis in which a 7-year-old boy was killed and two women were critically injured, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    A grand jury indicted Jordan Pittman, 19, and Angieline Kennedy, 21, on first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony, and reckless endangerment.

    The incident occurred around 11 p.m. on July 4, 2021, at a residence in the 700 block of North Montgomery St. near Jackson Avenue.

   Witnesses said a Mazda sedan drove up and a passenger got out, shouted something, and began firing a handgun. Seven-year-old Kelby Shorty, who was playing in the front yard, was struck several times and died at the scene.

   Also, a 29-year-old woman was struck in the arm and leg, and a 22-year-old woman was shot in the upper thigh. Both were hospitalized with critical injuries.

   Bullets also penetrated the home where five other people – including three children under age 10 – were inside. No one was hit.

   Investigators developed Pittman and Kennedy as suspects, and arrested Pittman two days later. Kennedy was arrested two days after that in Covington, Tenn., and was returned to Memphis.

  Pittman is being held on $1 million bond. Kennedy is being held on $100,000 bond.

    The case is being handled by Chief Prosecutor Theresa McCusker of the District Attorney’s Vertical Team 1 which prosecutes cases in General Sessions Division 7 (Veteran’s Court) and Criminal Court Division 1.

Man Indicted in Double Homicide

Jan. 28, 2022 – A 29-year-old man has been indicted in a drive-by shooting last year in North Memphis in which two men in a parked car were killed by multiple gunshots, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich. 

    Jacquez Howell was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder, theft of property over $10,000, and intentionally evading arrest in an automobile. He is being held without bond.

   The shooting occurred shortly before 5 p.m. on Sept. 13, 2021, in the 2200 block of Eldridge Ave. when a dark Nissan stopped in the middle of the street and numerous shots were fired from the passenger side.   

   The shots struck a nearby red Pontiac and the two men seated in the vehicle, identified as Courtney Riley, 31, and Mario Moore Jr., 23, both of Memphis. Police gathered at least 32 spent shell casings from the scene.

    Two days later, police spotted Howell driving the Nissan, pulled him over after a chase, and eventually caught him after he exited the car and ran from officers. The car was stolen two months earlier in the 6100 block of Poplar. 

   The case is being prosecuted by Senior Felony Asst. Neil Umsted of the District Attorney’s Vertical Team 3 which handles cases in General Sessions Division 11 and in Criminal Court Division 3.

Employee Indicted in Shooting Death Of Suspected Shoplifter Last Summer

Jan. 28, 2022 – An employee at a South Memphis discount store has been indicted on murder charges after following a suspected shoplifter out of the store last summer and shooting him in the parking lot, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    A grand jury Thursday indicted Ashley Croom, 32, on a count of second-degree murder. She is being held on $250,000 bond.

  The incident happened shortly before 5 p.m. on July 22, 2021, at the Dollar Tree store in the 1800 block of South Third Street.

   Investigators said Croom followed 27-year-old Dewaynne Reed out of the store and confronted him in the parking lot about items he had taken without paying. She pulled a handgun, shot him twice, and took the merchandise back into the store.

    The case is being handled by Felony Asst. Ryan Thompson of the District Attorney’s Vertical Team 2 which prosecutes cases in General Sessions Division 9 (Mental Health Court) and in Criminal Court Division 2.

Woman Pleads Guilty in Fatal Hotel Attack

Jan. 28, 2022 – A woman who returned to a motel to confront another woman over an earlier dispute pled guilty this week to second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

    Defendant Shamika Fifer, 33, was sentenced to 21 years in prison on each offense. The sentences are to be served concurrently, but without the possibility for parole.

    On Aug. 6, 2018, Fifer and a friend, Dave Wooten, 29, went to the Garden Inn and Suites at American Way and Lamar where she planned to confront a woman over a dispute the previous day.

    As Fifer, who had a crowbar, began scuffling with the 24-year-old woman, Brandon Lipsey, 26, stepped out of his motel room to intervene. At that point, Wooten pulled a handgun and shot Lipsey and the woman multiple times.

    The victims were taken to a hospital where Lipsey died from his wounds. The woman was critically injured, but survived.

    In 2019 Wooten pled guilty to second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder and employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

   The case was handled by Asst. Dist. Attys. Jimmy Thomas and Will Cranford.

I-40 Traffic Stop Yields Deadly Drug Shipment Hidden in Fire Extinguishers

    Jan. 27, 2022 – An Arizona woman who was stopped on I-40 on a traffic violation earlier this week is facing drug-trafficking charges after officers found 20 pounds of fentanyl hidden in two fire extinguishers inside her vehicle, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

 The driver was identified as Adalinda Saucedo, 37, whose 2021 Toyota Corolla was stopped just before midnight Monday on I-40 at the Fayette County-Shelby County line.

 Johnie Carter, director of the West Tennessee Drug Task Force (WTDTF), estimated that the wholesale street value of the deadly fentanyl shipment was close to $1 million.

 “The task force agents are always on alert,” Carter said. “They are trained to expect the unexpected in every stop. It’s a constant battle because drug traffickers will use any method you can imagine to move their illegal drugs through West Tennessee. This seizure is another example of the ongoing battle we face.”

 He said just two milligrams of fentanyl can cause a fatal overdose, meaning that the seized shipment was enough to kill more than 4½ million people.

 Carter said that when Task Force officers developed reasonable suspicion that Saucedo was likely involved in criminal activity, they began a consent search of the vehicle.

 They discovered the fire extinguishers in the trunk next to Saucedo’s overnight bag.  The extinguishers had signs of tampering and agents discovered 20 pounds of fentanyl packed inside.

 Carter said the contraband likely was being taken to Monroe, N.C., from Dallas, Texas. Saucedo was taken to the Fayette County Jail.

 The WTDTF operates by joint agreement in the 28th, 29th and 30th Judicial Districts, and also includes members from the Fayette, Haywood and Tipton County Sheriff’s Departments and the Memphis and Germantown Police Departments.

Fayette County, which is in the 25th Judicial District, includes about 15 miles of I-40.

Driver Indicted on Homicide, DUI Charges

Jan. 26, 2022 – A Memphis driver was indicted Tuesday on criminal charges including vehicular homicide and drunken driving related to a two-vehicle crash in East Memphis that killed one person and injured two others, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich. 

     A grand jury indicted Christopher O. Walker, 34, on counts of vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, aggravated assault, driving under the influence, and reckless driving. He is free on $3,500 bond. 

    The incident occurred around 7:15 p.m. on Oct. 29, 2020, on Poplar Avenue near South Perkins when Walker’s eastbound Dodge Charger slid sideways into opposing traffic and was struck broadside by another vehicle.

    Walker’s front-seat passenger, 28-year-old Joseph Cortez Johnson, was critically injured and another passenger sustained cuts to his forehead. A 40-year-old woman in the other vehicle suffered multiple broken bones in her foot. 

   Johnson was taken to a hospital where he died a week later from his injuries.

   The case is being handled by Asst. Dist. Atty. Vanessa Murtaugh of the District Attorney’s DUI Unit that prosecutes all DUI cases in the Criminal Court and works with law enforcement to reduce the number of DUI-related fatalities and injuries.

Man Pleads Guilty in Whitehaven Murder

     Jan. 24, 2022 – A Memphis man has pled guilty in a shooting at a Whitehaven motel in which he killed a woman bystander and wounded a man who had tried to intervene in an argument, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich. 

    Angelos Santell Washington, 41, pled guilty Friday in Criminal Court to second-degree murder, aggravated assault and two counts of assault. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison without the possibility for parole. 

   The incident happened around noon on Sept. 4, 2019, outside of the Budget Host Motel in the 2700 block of Airways Blvd. 

   Witnesses said Washington, who was in a wheelchair, was harassing a 48-year-old woman when Martez Ingram, 28, confronted him to get him to stop. Washington cursed the man, pulled a handgun and fired several times. 

   Paula Foster, 59, who was standing nearby, was struck two times in the back and died later at a hospital. One of the bullets passed through her and struck Ingram in the chest. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition, but survived his injury. 

    Police arrested Washington in his wheelchair a short time later in the 2200 block of Democrat Road, and confiscated the handgun used in the shooting. 

   The case was handled by Senior Felony Asst. Danielle McCollum and by Asst. Dist. Atty. Eric Walton of the District Attorney’s Vertical Team 1 which prosecutes cases in General Sessions Division 7 (Veteran’s Court) and in Criminal Court Division 1.  

Man Indicted in Whitehaven Motel Murder

     Jan. 21, 2022 – A Memphis man was indicted Thursday in the shooting death of a Horn Lake man last year in a Whitehaven motel, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich. 

    A grand jury indicted Fountain Holley, aka Fontaine Holley, on a count of second-degree murder. He is being held on $500,000 bond. 

    The incident occurred shortly after 7 p.m. on Sept. 12 last year at a motel on East Shelby Drive just west of Interstate 55.

   Police were called to the Skyline Inn where they found the window of a guest room shattered and the body of 23-year-old Jordon Briggs on the floor inside. He had a gunshot wound to the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene. 

   Holley, 33, was developed as a suspect and was taken into custody 10 days later. 

   The case is being handled by Asst. Dist. Atty. Jeff Jones of the District Attorney’s Special Prosecution Unit 8 which seeks maximum sentencing for repeat felony offenders.