On a summer evening in Troy, Alabama, the life of 21-year-old Jakoby Deshon Cogburn was tragically cut short. On July 13, 2020, at approximately 9:13 p.m., the sound of multiple gunshots pierced the air in the 300 block of Elba Highway. When officers from the Troy Police Department arrived at the rear of the Tanglewood Apartments, they discovered Cogburn, a resident of Ramer, deceased from a gunshot wound to the head.
The initial investigation quickly pointed to a white passenger car seen leaving the area, launching a search for the vehicle and the individuals involved.
The investigation into Cogburn's death was a collaborative effort involving the Troy Police Department, the Pike County District Attorney's Office, the Pike County Coroner's Office, the Pike County Sheriff's Office, and the Alabama Department of Forensic Science. Witnesses were able to provide a description of the suspect vehicle, which was soon located by law enforcement. As the investigation progressed, it was revealed that the shooting was a case of mistaken identity. The perpetrators had allegedly been waiting in a vehicle to shoot a resident of the apartment complex. When a door opened, one of the suspects began firing from the back seat at the first person to emerge, who tragically turned out to be Cogburn and not the intended target.
Within days of the shooting, the first arrest was made. Jamarco Dynell Harris, a 17-year-old from Troy, was taken into custody and charged with capital murder. He was subsequently incarcerated in the Pike County Jail without bond. The investigation continued, and authorities indicated that they anticipated more arrests. Later, another suspect, Wadrickus Howard, who was also 17 at the time of the incident, was arrested. Despite his attempts to hide the murder weapon and flee the area, and his claims of being in Montgomery at the time of the shooting, he was taken into custody.
In October 2024, Wadrickus Howard was convicted of capital murder for the shooting death of Jakoby Cogburn. Following his conviction, the court was left with two sentencing options: life in prison without the possibility of parole, or a juvenile life sentence, which would require him to serve 30 years before being considered for parole.
