In the late hours of a Sunday evening in Starkville, Mississippi, the life of 20-year-old Zavier Armstead was tragically cut short. On August 15, 2021, gunshots echoed through the Sandhill Arms Apartments, drawing the attention of local law enforcement. When officers from the Starkville Police Department arrived at the scene just before 10 p.m., they discovered that Armstead and another individual had been shot. Armstead, a 2019 graduate of Starkville High School and an employee at Ashley Furniture Industry, Inc., was pronounced dead at the scene. The second victim was transported for medical care.
The investigation into the shooting moved swiftly, and the day after the incident, authorities made an arrest. Benjamin Brownlee Jr., a 20-year-old from the area, was taken into custody and charged with capital murder for the death of Zavier Armstead and attempted murder for the injury of the second victim. This arrest brought a suspect into the fold, beginning a legal process that would span several years. While out on bond for the murder charge, Brownlee was arrested again in connection with a domestic violence incident.
Ultimately, justice for Zavier Armstead was sought in an Oktibbeha County Circuit Court. In November 2025, Benjamin Brownlee Jr., then 24 years old, was convicted for his role in the 2021 shooting. He received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Armstead. For the attempted murder charge, he was sentenced to an additional 40 years, with the sentences to be served consecutively, ensuring he would spend the remainder of his life incarcerated for the violence that transpired on that summer night.
