In the early morning hours of December 13, 2019, the body of 28-year-old Travis Shaw, a male resident of the Royal Oaks Apartments in Indianola, Mississippi, was discovered in a ditch near his home. Responding to a call from a passerby around 6 a.m., law enforcement found Shaw unresponsive at the intersection of Wiggins Road and Garrard Avenue. While an initial examination at the scene did not reveal an immediate cause of death, it was later determined by autopsy that Shaw had died from a single gunshot wound.
The investigation into Shaw's death quickly pointed to a home invasion and robbery. Investigators found a brick had been thrown through a back window of Shaw's apartment, and a blood trail led from his apartment to where his body was found. It was determined that the perpetrators broke into Shaw's home with the intent to rob him, and during the commission of the burglary, Shaw was shot and killed as he fled his own home.
The ensuing investigation led to the arrests of four suspects: Ladarius Snipes, 23; Iradell Johnson III, 26; Alfonso Waller Jr., 23; and Leramske Gardner. All four men were charged with capital murder, which in Mississippi is defined as a killing that occurs during the commission of another felony, in this case, burglary of a dwelling.
In November 2025, Alfonso Waller Jr. was convicted of capital murder by a Sunflower County jury. The conviction carried a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. At the time of Waller's conviction, the trials for the other three co-defendants, Ladarius Snipes, Iradell Johnson III, and Leramske Gardner, were still pending. Information on the final disposition of the charges against Snipes, Johnson, and Gardner for their roles in Travis Shaw's murder is not available in the public record.
