In the late hours of a November evening in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, tragedy struck 64-year-old Frank Jenkins. On November 21, 2016, police responded to reports of gunfire at a residence on Prince George Road around 10:10 p.m.. Upon their arrival, they discovered Jenkins and another individual with gunshot wounds. Both men were urgently transported to Forrest General Hospital for medical attention, but Jenkins ultimately succumbed to his injuries. An autopsy would later confirm that he died from multiple gunshot wounds, and his death was officially ruled a homicide.
The investigation into the shooting unfolded over the following days and led to the apprehension of several individuals. Three men, David Bernard Jones, Virgil Stephen'Lee Luckett, and Aaron Deshun Jones, were taken into custody and faced serious charges, including capital murder and aggravated assault in connection with the incident that led to Jenkins' death and the injury of the other man. Their legal troubles were compounded by additional charges of armed robbery stemming from a separate incident on West Seventh Street. The circle of alleged involvement widened with the arrest of Stacy Foster, who was charged with hindering prosecution and rendering criminal assistance to the primary suspects.
As the case progressed through the judicial system, one of the accused, Carlos Akeem Sibley, who was initially charged with first-degree murder, entered into a plea agreement in September 2018. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree murder and agreed to provide testimony against his co-defendants. In exchange for his cooperation, the other charges against him were moved to the inactive file. The trials for the remaining defendants, David Jones, Virgil Luckett, and Aaron Jones, were scheduled to take place in the subsequent months, marking the next chapter in the pursuit of justice for the death of Frank Jenkins, which was recorded as the eighth homicide in Hattiesburg that year.
