On a late May evening in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, the life of 37-year-old Cedrick Mumphrey, an African American male, was tragically cut short. On May 30, 2022, Mumphrey was outside a residence on West Second Street when he was struck by multiple gunshots. He was quickly transported to Prevost Memorial Hospital but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office launched an investigation into the shooting, discovering approximately 45 spent shell casings at
the scene. It was also found that Mumphrey's home, which had an adult female and three children inside at the time of the incident, was hit by numerous rounds of gunfire. A significant breakthrough in the case came from a neighbor's video surveillance footage. The footage showed Mumphrey talking with another man in the driveway when three individuals, dressed in dark clothing and wearing masks, approached them, brandished handguns, and opened fire. After the barrage of shots, the three assailants fled the scene.
With assistance from the community, law enforcement identified the three shooters as Donovan Starks, then 21, Johntez Ezeff, also 21, and a 17-year-old named Jatyrin Powe. Warrants were issued, and by mid-June 2022, all three suspects were apprehended. Starks and Ezeff faced charges of second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, illegal use of weapons, and property damage. Powe, despite being a juvenile, faced the same charges in addition to illegal possession of a firearm by a juvenile.
In April 2025, an Ascension Parish jury found Donovan Starks, Johntez Ezeff, and Jatyrin Powe guilty of second-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm, and aggravated criminal damage to property. Subsequently, all three were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence for the second-degree murder conviction. They also received concurrent five-year sentences for each count of aggravated assault with a firearm and aggravated damage to property.
