In the spring of 2017, the life of Jessie Buford, a 23-year-old male Middle Tennessee State University student, was tragically cut short. On the afternoon of May 4th, Buford was shot and killed at the Student Quarters Apartments on Greenland Drive in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, a short distance from the university campus. The young man, described by his family as a happy and humble business major, aspiring local rapper, and the creator of a clothing line, was well-loved.
His death left his family, including seven siblings, utterly devastated.
The investigation into Buford's death quickly focused on a single suspect, Lammoris Ontrel Jones, who was 20 years old at the time. Jones was not a stranger to Buford; the two had once been friends and even roommates before having a falling out. According to Buford's family, he knew the person who shot him. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Murfreesboro Police launched an extensive search for Jones, who was believed to have fled to West Tennessee or Mississippi. The Tennessee Highway Patrol eventually located him traveling west of Jackson, Tennessee, and took him into custody without incident two days after the shooting.
Following his arrest, Lammoris Jones was charged with first-degree murder. During a preliminary hearing in June 2017, details of the soured friendship between Jones and Buford were presented, and the case was sent to the Rutherford County Grand Jury. Testimony revealed that after the shooting, Jones had taken the murder weapon to a cousin's home in Mississippi. For a time, it appeared the case was headed for a full trial, which was scheduled for July of 2020. Reports even suggested that the fatal encounter may have been captured on video.
However, the case did not culminate in a jury trial. In October 2020, Lammoris Jones entered a guilty plea in a Rutherford County courtroom. As a result of his plea, he was sentenced to 26 years in prison for the murder of his former friend, Jessie Buford.
