In the summer of 2019, on a warm evening stretching into the early morning hours of June 25th, a gathering of friends at a home in Belzoni, Mississippi, took a tragic turn, ending the life of 31-year-old Telvin Washington. The residence, belonging to his girlfriend Mona Chapman, was filled with the sounds of camaraderie as Washington, Darry Daniels, Jonshun Yarbor, and Oriento Thompson spent the night engrossed in writing songs, smoking, and playing video games.
The friendly atmosphere soured when a bet was placed on a game of Mortal Kombat between Washington and Daniels. An argument erupted, escalating quickly and violently. In the ensuing chaos, Daniels produced a gun and fired, striking Washington. The single gunshot wound would prove to be fatal. The bullet that ended Washington's life also struck Jonshun Yarbor, injuring him in the arm.
In the immediate aftermath, law enforcement acted swiftly, apprehending Darry Daniels as he was driving his vehicle, reportedly heading towards Louisiana. The legal process that followed saw Daniels facing a Humphreys County Circuit Court jury for his actions on that fatal night.
After a two-day trial, the jury reached a verdict, convicting Darry Daniels on one count of manslaughter for the death of Telvin Washington. In addition to the manslaughter conviction, Daniels was also found guilty of three counts of aggravated assault and one count of shooting into an occupied dwelling. The court sentenced Daniels to serve twenty years in custody for the manslaughter conviction. An appeal was later filed, which resulted in the affirmation of the manslaughter conviction, but the convictions for aggravated assault were reversed and remanded for a new trial due to legal insufficiency in the indictment.
