In the early morning hours in Courtland, Mississippi, the life of 33-year-old Travis Sanford came to a violent end. On Friday, March 15, 2019, inside his own home on Woodruff Street, Sanford was shot and killed. The alleged shooter was a man with whom he had been playing a dice game throughout the night. The sound of a shotgun blast shattered the morning calm around 7:30 a.m., leaving a scene of tragedy for Sanford's girlfriend and two small children, who were also in the residence at the time.
The dispute, authorities would later reveal, was over a sum of $700. The friendly game had taken a fatal turn, escalating into a deadly confrontation. The suspect, identified as Myron Ardyl Powell Jr. of nearby Batesville, allegedly fired a shotgun twice as he was fleeing the house. The first shot missed its mark, but the second found its target, fatally wounding Sanford. He was rushed to a local hospital but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
In the immediate aftermath, the Panola County Sheriff's Department launched an investigation. They quickly took a suspect into custody for questioning, and Powell was later charged with the murder. The community was left to grapple with the sudden loss of a man who was also known for his connection to another high-profile local tragedy. Sanford had been the ex-boyfriend of Jessica Chambers, a young woman who was horrifically burned to death in 2014. However, law enforcement had cleared Sanford in that case, as he was incarcerated at the time of her death.
The narrative of Travis Sanford's final hours painted a grim picture of a disagreement that spiraled out of control. What began as a game between acquaintances ended in a senseless death, leaving a family to mourn and a community to once again confront the specter of violence. The investigation continued as his body was sent for an autopsy, and the legal process against Myron Ardyl Powell Jr. began to unfold, marking another sad chapter for the small Mississippi town.
