On the evening of March 14, 2015, a visit to his uncle's home in Selma, Alabama, turned fatal for 28-year-old James 'Jimmy' Lafayette Hudgens IV. Hudgens, a resident of Demopolis, was inside the residence when a loud noise from outside prompted him and his uncle to investigate at approximately 10:15 p.m. They discovered two individuals in the process of breaking into vehicles on the property.
As Hudgens confronted one of the men, Kendarious Brown, he was unaware that a second suspect,
Devontae Jiles, was concealed nearby. Jiles then emerged and fired a 12-gauge shotgun twice, striking Hudgens in the face. After being stabilized at the scene, Hudgens was transported to a Montgomery hospital, where he died from his injuries early the following morning.
Following the shooting, Selma police apprehended both Jiles and Brown, who were in their early 20s. They were charged with capital murder, unlawful breaking and entering of a vehicle, and attempted unlawful breaking and entering of a vehicle. Investigators identified Jiles, who had a prior criminal record, as the shooter. Brown had no previous criminal history.
In October 2018, Devontae Jiles, then 25, pleaded guilty to charges of capital murder and attempted murder. As a result of a plea agreement, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
