In the small city of Indianola, Mississippi, the life of a 15-year-old Black female named Earnestia 'Ne Ne' Hunter was tragically cut short on the evening of November 13, 2016, just six days before she would have celebrated her sixteenth birthday. Earnestia was at her home when she was visited by a man later identified as Dwayne Dabney. While outside her residence, she suffered a fatal gunshot wound.
Following the shooting, Dabney drove Earnestia to the Sunflower County Hospital.
However, he left her there without providing any information to the medical staff that could identify her or explain what had happened, and then departed for Belzoni, Mississippi. The investigation conducted by the Indianola Police Department soon pointed toward Dabney as the individual who had dropped her off at the hospital. Through coordination with the Belzoni Police Department, Dabney was located and transported back to Indianola to face questioning.
The investigation, aided by witness testimony identifying Dabney as the shooter, led to charges being filed against him for Earnestia's death. On March 6, 2019, Dwayne Dabney chose to plead guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter. He decided against a plea deal offered by the state, instead opting for an open plea, thereby leaving his sentence to the discretion of the court.
During a sentencing hearing on April 30, 2019, held at the Leflore County Courthouse, friends and family of both Earnestia Hunter and Dwayne Dabney were given the opportunity to speak about the profound impact of the incident on their lives and the community. After hearing the emotional testimony, Judge Richard Smith sentenced Dabney to 20 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. The sentence stipulated that he would serve 15 years in prison, with the remaining five years to be spent on probation.
