In the fading light of a late January evening in Memphis, Tennessee, a young man's life was violently cut short. Nicholas Sutton, a 23-year-old male, was at a service station in the 3200 block of Ridgeway Road on January 29, 2017, when gunfire erupted. When police arrived, they found Sutton suffering from gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into Sutton's death quickly led to three teenage
suspects. Lavon Williams, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, and his two co-defendants, Lareco Wilson and Teriaco Gilkey, both 16, were identified as being involved in the robbery and murder. The incident that claimed Sutton's life was part of a robbery attempt that escalated into a fatal shooting.
In the years following the tragic event, the wheels of justice turned for those responsible for Nicholas Sutton's death. In May 2019, Lavon Williams, then 19, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and robbery. He was sentenced by a Criminal Court Judge to 30 years in prison for his role in the crime. The two other individuals charged in the case, Lareco Wilson and Teriaco Gilkey, who were 18 by that time, had pending charges and were scheduled for a court appearance in June of that year.
