In the early morning hours of December 28, 2020, a violent encounter in a Byhalia, Mississippi, apartment tragically ended the life of 27-year-old Lazarus Lawson. The incident unfolded around 1:30 a.m. when Miles LaCameron Cunningham forcibly entered the apartment of his sometime girlfriend. Inside, he discovered the woman with Lawson.
An altercation immediately broke out between Cunningham and Lawson. The confrontation quickly escalated, culminating in several gunshots being fired. Lawson was struck by a bullet in his back. Emergency medical technicians arrived at the chaotic scene to find Lawson in an agitated state, making it difficult to treat his injuries. He was airlifted to the Regional Medical Center in Memphis for urgent medical attention. Despite the efforts to save him, Lawson succumbed to his injuries and died. An autopsy later confirmed he sustained multiple abrasions and that the fatal gunshot wound damaged his liver, kidney, and lung.
In the wake of the shooting, law enforcement identified 27-year-old Miles LaCameron Cunningham as the suspect and issued a warrant for his arrest on a charge of first-degree murder. The search for Cunningham did not last long, as U.S. Marshals apprehended him in Olive Branch later that same evening. Following his arrest, a Marshall County grand jury indicted Cunningham for first-degree murder.
During his trial, Cunningham claimed he acted in self-defense and did not intend to kill Lawson. However, the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison. Cunningham later appealed his conviction, arguing that there was insufficient evidence for a first-degree murder conviction and that at most he was guilty of manslaughter committed in the heat of passion. The appellate court, however, found no reversible error and affirmed the original conviction and sentence.
