In the early morning hours of November 1, 2021, a burst of senseless gun violence shattered the ordinary atmosphere of a Waffle House on Brookway Boulevard in Brookhaven, Mississippi, leaving 23-year-old Myrtessia Catchings fatally wounded. The incident, which occurred around 2 a.m., also resulted in another individual sustaining an arm injury. Emergency services rushed Catchings to the University of Mississippi Medical Center, but she ultimately succumbed to her injuries.
The Brookhaven Police Department quickly launched an investigation into the double shooting.
The investigation led to the swift arrest of Willie Ray Walker III, then 31 years old. Initially, Walker was charged with attempted murder. However, following Catchings' death, the charges against him were upgraded to first-degree murder. As the investigation progressed, law enforcement identified a second individual, Lindsay Marie Schmidt, aged 30 at the time, for her involvement. Schmidt was subsequently arrested and charged with accessory after the fact, expanding the scope of the case beyond the primary shooter.
The legal proceedings brought a measure of closure to the family of Myrtessia Catchings and the Brookhaven community. In May 2023, Lindsay Marie Schmidt was found guilty of her charge and received a sentence of 15 years in prison, with 12 years suspended, followed by five years of post-release supervision. Later, in February 2024, Willie Ray Walker III entered a guilty plea to the charge of first-degree murder. To avoid a trial, he accepted the maximum penalty, and the court sentenced him to life in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. In addition to his life sentence, Walker was ordered to pay a $3,000 fine and make full restitution to the victim's family.
