In the winter of 2014, a promising life was tragically cut short in Jackson, Tennessee. Markel DeMario Owens, a 21-year-old African American male, was fatally wounded on the evening of January 15th during a violent home invasion. Owens, a student and football player for Arkansas State University, was at a residence on Walker Road with his mother, Chermaine Owens, and his stepfather, Johnny Shivers, when the harrowing ordeal began.
Two masked assailants, later identified as cousins
Derrick Wade and Johnny Wade, forced their way into the apartment as Shivers and his 16-year-old son were arriving home. The intruders, armed with handguns, demanded money. In an act of bravery, Markel Owens intervened to protect his family, joining his stepfather in a struggle against one of the gunmen. During the confrontation, both Owens and Shivers sustained fatal gunshot wounds. Chermaine Owens was also shot but survived her injuries. The robbers fled the scene with a significant amount of cash. Police later indicated that they believe Shivers was the intended target of the robbery, as a large quantity of marijuana was discovered inside the apartment.
The investigation into the double homicide moved swiftly. The day after the murders, Jackson police, with assistance from Memphis law enforcement, located and arrested 22-year-old Derrick Wade at a relative's house in Memphis, where they also recovered a handgun. Two days later, his 19-year-old cousin, Johnny Wade, was apprehended in Ripley. A third individual, Craig Taylor, was taken into custody in April of that year, accused of being the getaway driver for the Wade cousins.
All three men faced a series of serious charges, including felony murder, especially aggravated robbery, and attempted first-degree murder. The legal process that followed brought a measure of justice for the victims' families. Derrick Wade pleaded guilty to his charges and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Johnny Wade was convicted of first-degree murder and received a life sentence. Craig Taylor, the final suspect, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and received a four-year sentence to be served concurrently with a life sentence for an unrelated killing. In a related case, another man, Rodarrous Bond, was convicted of conspiring with Johnny Wade from jail to kill Chermaine Owens-Shivers and her teenage son, who were witnesses to the murders. Bond was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
