In the quiet town of Milan, Tennessee, the evening of September 26, 2017, was shattered by an act of violence that claimed the lives of two young men. Troy Tuman Whitmore, a 19-year-old male, and his friend, 20-year-old Deairrious Young, were fatally shot outside the Meadows of Milan apartment complex on Reasons Boulevard. The incident, which marked the first double homicide in Milan in several years, sent shockwaves through the community.
The investigation into the deaths of Whitmore and Young quickly pointed to two juvenile suspects: 17-year-old Antonio Demetrius Adkisson, also known as Antonio Turner, and Justice Walton, who was also 17 at the time. Both were students at Milan High School. The motive for the shooting was believed to be retaliation for a robbery or an altercation that had occurred earlier that day. Authorities suggested that the victims were ambushed as they arrived at the apartment complex.
Within a day of the shooting, Adkisson was taken into custody. Investigators, acting on anonymous tips and information from people at the crime scene, brought him in for questioning. Though he was a juvenile, Adkisson was ultimately transferred to the adult court system to face charges. He was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder. Following a trial, a Gibson County jury convicted Adkisson of two counts of second-degree murder. He received an effective sentence of twenty years in confinement. Adkisson later appealed his conviction, arguing that his case should not have been transferred from juvenile court and that his statement to police should have been suppressed. However, the appellate court affirmed the trial court's judgment.
The second suspect, Justice Walton, was also sought in connection with the double homicide and was implicated as an accomplice. He was also charged with two counts of first-degree murder. While court documents from Adkisson's appeal mention that Walton was seen with a gun in his waistband at the apartment complex before the shooting, the specific outcome of the charges against him is not publicly documented in the available online sources. The investigation into the tragic deaths of Troy Tuman Whitmore and Deairrious Young involved the Milan Police Department, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Marshals Service, all working to bring a sense of justice to a community shaken by the loss of two of its young members.
