On what was supposed to be a day of celebration, his 19th birthday, Tavon Holder, a Black male, was fatally shot in Theodore, Alabama. The tragic event unfolded on Thanksgiving night in 2020 when Holder arranged to meet two teenagers, 17-year-old Anthony Mcpherson and 17-year-old Lucy Rutledge, at the Bennett's Landing apartments. The purpose of the meeting was reportedly a marijuana transaction valued at a mere $35.
The encounter took a fatal turn, resulting in Holder's death.
An investigator later testified that an argument broke out over the marijuana, leading to the deadly shooting. Mcpherson is alleged to have been the one who pulled the trigger, while Rutledge was reportedly the driver of the vehicle they used to flee the scene. Holder, who had recently enlisted in the Army, was found unresponsive at the apartment complex and was pronounced dead.
In the wake of the shooting, both Mcpherson and Rutledge were arrested and charged with intentional murder. Although they were minors at the time of the incident, the severity of the charges led to the decision that they would be tried as adults. During a preliminary hearing, it was revealed that Mcpherson had allegedly admitted to the shooting. The case was subsequently bound over to a grand jury for further consideration. Both teenagers pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Mcpherson's bond was set at $125,000, and Rutledge's was set at $75,000. Rutledge's attorney argued that his client was merely a witness and not a participant in the murder. Despite the seriousness of the charges, both suspects were eventually released on bond. As of early 2021, the case was set to be heard by a grand jury. Further details regarding a trial, plea agreements, or convictions have not been made publicly available.
