In the early hours of a summer morning in Whitesville, Kentucky, a party's youthful revelry turned into a scene of tragedy. On June 1, 2019, 18-year-old Jasper Brown was fatally shot at a gathering on Crisp Road. The abrupt violence of that night also claimed the life of 16-year-old Amarius Winstead and left another teenager, 19-year-old Tyler Glover, wounded.
The party, attended by approximately 75 to 100 people, descended into chaos as gunfire erupted, sending attendees scattering into the darkness.
Responding to a 911 call made around 12:30 a.m., the Daviess County Sheriff's Office arrived to a chaotic scene. Brown and Winstead were transported to Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, but their injuries proved fatal. Glover was also taken to the hospital and underwent surgery for his injuries. In the immediate aftermath, law enforcement began the arduous task of piecing together the events of the night, interviewing witnesses from the large crowd that had mostly dispersed after the shooting.
The investigation quickly led to a suspect, a 17-year-old from Owensboro named Chase Simmons. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and he was taken into custody on June 6, 2019. Simmons was charged with two counts of murder for the deaths of Jasper Brown and Amarius Winstead, and one count of second-degree assault for the shooting of Tyler Glover. Due to the severity of the charges, Simmons, who was nearing his 18th birthday, was ultimately transferred to be tried as an adult.
In June 2022, a jury found Chase Simmons guilty of the murders of Jasper Brown and Amarius Winstead, as well as the assault on Tyler Glover. During the trial, testimony painted a picture of the party and the moments leading up to the fatal shootings. The jury recommended a total prison sentence of 60 years for Simmons, consisting of consecutive 30-year sentences for each murder conviction and a concurrent five-year sentence for the assault. In December 2023, the Kentucky Supreme Court affirmed Simmons' conviction and sentence, solidifying the legal conclusion to a night that ended in heartbreak for multiple families and the small community of Whitesville.
