On July 14, 2023, the quiet community of Matthews near Laurel, Mississippi, was disturbed by a grim discovery on Azzie Pitts Road. A co-worker arriving to pick up Wilson Earl Myrick for work found the 55-year-old White male deceased outside his mobile home. Law enforcement was immediately contacted, and deputies from the Jones County Sheriff's Department responded to the scene. Upon their arrival, investigators determined that Myrick, known affectionately to friends and family as Tater, had sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
The subsequent investigation by the Jones County Sheriff's Department quickly identified a suspect in the homicide. Authorities focused their attention on 51-year-old Cynthia Barnett of Soso, Mississippi, who was identified as the victim's girlfriend. Evidence gathered during the inquiry led to her arrest, and she was taken into custody at the Jones County Adult Detention Facility. Barnett was formally charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of Myrick.
Following her arrest, Barnett was scheduled for an initial court appearance at the Jones County Justice Court on July 16, 2023. As the legal process against the accused began, the community and loved ones of the victim moved forward with final arrangements. Myrick was laid to rest shortly after the incident, with funeral services held on July 22, 2023, at Union Line Cemetery in Soso, Mississippi.
