In the late hours of a Friday in Itta Bena, Mississippi, the life of Cordarius Devonta Arterberry, a 26-year-old Black male, was tragically cut short. On November 13, 2023, Arterberry and a companion, 25-year-old Zarquavious Sanders, were seated in a vehicle parked outside a local barber shop. The quiet evening was shattered by the sound of gunfire as their vehicle was riddled with bullets. In the chaotic aftermath, the car they occupied collided with another vehicle in the parking lot.
Both men sustained fatal injuries in the attack.
The investigation into the double homicide led Itta Bena police to a suspect. They arrested 25-year-old Andraus L. Griggs, charging him with two counts of murder and possession of a weapon by a felon. Griggs was subsequently detained at the Leflore County Jail as the legal process began to unfold. The arrest offered a glimmer of hope for the grieving families, including Arterberry's mother, who publicly expressed her profound desire for justice for her son.
However, the path to justice took an unexpected turn. During a preliminary hearing in January 2024, a Leflore County Court Judge reviewed the evidence presented by the state. The judge determined that there was not enough probable cause to proceed with the murder charges against Andraus L. Griggs. Consequently, the charges were dismissed. As of early 2024, the case remains unresolved, with no new suspects identified and no arrests made, leaving the community and the families of Cordarius Arterberry and Zarquavious Sanders waiting for answers and closure.
