In the early hours of September 4, 2016, a block party on Younglove Street in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, turned tragic, ending the life of 25-year-old Shaun Smith. An argument between Smith, a Black male, and another individual escalated, resulting in Smith being fatally shot. Despite numerous people being present at the gathering, initially, no witnesses came forward to identify the person responsible for the shooting.
The investigation into the death of Shaun Smith led authorities to
identify Julius Catlett Jr. as the primary suspect. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and he was considered armed and dangerous. The Hopkinsville-Christian County Crime Stoppers offered a reward for information leading to his capture. Ten days after the shooting, Catlett was apprehended in Evansville, Indiana. His arrest followed a traffic stop where he provided a false name to law enforcement. His true identity was discovered after he was taken into custody and fingerprinted.
Following his arrest, Julius Catlett Jr. was extradited back to Christian County to face charges for the murder of Shaun Smith. In addition to the murder charge, Catlett was also charged with possession of a handgun by a convicted felon and being a persistent felony offender. After a jury trial, he was found guilty of shooting Smith five times. In November 2018, Catlett was sentenced to 65 years in prison for his crimes. An appeal was filed on his behalf, but the Kentucky Supreme Court ultimately affirmed his conviction and sentence.
