In the late hours of October 25, 2017, a dispute on the campus of Grambling State University tragically escalated, ending the life of 23-year-old Monquiarious Caldwell from Farmerville, Louisiana. Caldwell, who was not a student at the university, was on campus with his friend, Earl Andrews, a 23-year-old senior at Grambling. An altercation that began inside a dormitory between Andrews and a 19-year-old freshman named Jaylin M. Wayne spilled out into a courtyard.
It was there that the disagreement turned violent.
As the fight intensified, Wayne produced a firearm and shot Andrews. In a heroic act of loyalty, Caldwell rushed to his friend's aid and was subsequently shot as well. Both Caldwell and Andrews succumbed to their gunshot wounds at the scene. In the immediate aftermath, Wayne fled, prompting a manhunt. The incident was not a random act of violence, as the individuals involved knew each other to some extent.
Within 48 hours, law enforcement identified Jaylin M. Wayne as the suspect. After an arrest warrant was issued, Wayne surrendered to the police. He was initially charged with first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of both Monquiarious Caldwell and Earl Andrews.
The legal proceedings that followed saw the charges against Wayne amended to two counts of second-degree murder. Following a trial that took place from October 28-30, 2021, a jury found Jaylin M. Wayne guilty. For his role in the deaths of the two young men, he was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in prison at hard labor, without the possibility of parole.
