In the small town of McAdams, Mississippi, the life of 26-year-old LaBrandice Deshon Harvey was tragically cut short on November 12, 2016. On that day, she and her new boyfriend, 24-year-old Zackary Flanagan, were shot and killed. Another woman was also wounded in the violent encounter. The devastating event left the community in shock and her loved ones heartbroken.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly led to a suspect: Marcus D. Malone, who was 27 at the time.
Malone was not a stranger to Harvey; he was her former boyfriend and the father of her children. The Attala County Sheriff's Department apprehended Malone on the same day as the shootings. He was subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Harvey and Flanagan, and one count of aggravated assault for the injury to the third victim.
Following his arrest, Malone was held at the Leake County Correctional Facility on a $1.1 million bond. The legal proceedings moved forward, and in a turn of events to avoid a trial, a plea deal was reached. Malone pleaded guilty to reduced charges of second-degree murder for the two deaths and to the original charge of aggravated assault. Before his plea, the court had ordered a competency evaluation, which determined he was fit to stand trial. In October 2018, a judge sentenced Malone to two concurrent 40-year sentences for the murders and a concurrent 20-year sentence for the aggravated assault. Due to the nature of the charges, he will be required to serve the full 40 years without the possibility of early release or parole, receiving credit only for the two years he had already spent in custody.
