In May of 2017, a young man from Memphis named Jaylin Juan Pritchard, aged 19, traveled to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, with a friend. The reasons for his visit would tragically become the final chapter of his life. On the evening of May 23rd, his journey ended violently when he was shot multiple times.
Witnesses at the University Ridge Apartments on South Rutherford Boulevard reported seeing a body being pushed from a vehicle. When Murfreesboro Police responded to the call at approximately 7:27 p.m., they discovered the deceased body of Jaylin Pritchard. Investigators believe he was shot while inside a vehicle parked near one of the apartment buildings. The vehicle was later found abandoned at Rogers Park, where witnesses stated that three individuals fled in a gold-colored car. It appeared to detectives that Pritchard was killed before his body was left at the apartment complex.
The investigation into the homicide led law enforcement to execute search warrants at two different locations in Murfreesboro on May 27th. These searches resulted in the arrest of 21-year-old Christopher D. Raine. The investigation continued, and two other men, Oran Dominic Puckett and Tyronzell Boyd, both originally from West Tennessee, were identified as suspects. Authorities believe the homicide occurred during a drug transaction.
Puckett and Boyd were subsequently charged with first-degree murder in connection with Pritchard's death. In July of 2020, both men were scheduled to appear in a Rutherford County Circuit Court for a plea hearing before a judge.
