In the late afternoon of March 15, 2019, within the confines of the Bibb County Correctional Facility in Brent, Alabama, a violent encounter abruptly ended the life of 56-year-old Ray Anthony Little. The assault occurred around 4 p.m. in one of the prison's housing areas, a place that proved to be anything but a sanctuary. Little was attacked by another inmate who wielded a weapon, inflicting fatal stab wounds.
Despite being rushed to a local hospital, the injuries he sustained were too severe, and he was pronounced dead.
The Alabama Department of Corrections swiftly identified a suspect in the fatal stabbing: 30-year-old Devarrieo Montez Shepherd. Officials reported that Shepherd appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance at the time of the attack. Correctional officers were able to secure the area without further incident and recovered the weapon used in the assault. In the wake of the killing, it was announced that Shepherd would face a murder charge for his role in Little's death.
At the time of his death, Ray Anthony Little was serving a life sentence for a 2012 conviction in Mobile County for first-degree robbery and kidnapping. His attacker, Devarrieo Montez Shepherd, was serving a 30-year sentence for a first-degree robbery conviction out of Etowah County from 2005. The homicide was the second to occur at the facility in the same week, prompting the Alabama Department of Corrections to dispatch a Correctional Emergency Response Team to search for contraband and assist the prison staff. Following the incident, the facility was placed on lockdown as the investigation into both deaths proceeded. Family and friends of Ray Anthony Little gathered for a visitation and funeral service in Mobile, Alabama, on March 23, 2019, to mourn their loss.
