In the early hours of May 12, 2022, the sound of gunfire echoed through an apartment complex in the 800 block of 29th Street in Meridian, Mississippi. Responding to the reports, Meridian Police officers arrived around 2 a.m. to find a silver Buick with the engine still running and music playing from the vehicle. Inside, they discovered the body of Jaqualyn Martez Darby, a 19-year-old Black male. He had sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his chest, abdomen, and arm and was pronounced dead at the scene. Darby, who was born on August 18, 2002, was last seen by his family around midnight before he left his residence.
For nearly two years, the investigation into Jaqualyn Darby's death remained without a resolution, his case growing cold. Then, in the spring of 2024, a significant break in the case led to a series of arrests. In April 2024, the Meridian Police Department announced they had arrested and charged 19-year-old Dezjuan D. Moffite with murder in connection with Darby's shooting. Moffite was subsequently held without bond.
Following Moffite's arrest, authorities made additional arrests in the ongoing investigation. In May 2024, the police department announced that three other individuals had been taken into custody. Irulan Lee, 19, Jaquarion Stewart, 18, and Jukeilia Bohannon, 18, were all charged with accessory after the fact in connection to Jaqualyn Darby's death. Stewart was held without bond, while Lee's bond was set at $100,000. These arrests marked a turning point in a case that had remained unsolved for years, bringing a measure of progress for a family awaiting justice.
