In the quiet of a November night in Neshoba County, a tragedy unfolded that would tear a family apart. Ozie Mcbeath, a male, was in his bedroom, presumably asleep, when his life was abruptly ended. He was shot in the back of the head with a shotgun, the weapon pressed directly against him. The events of that night were pieced together through the testimony of his other son, Demonta.
Earlier in the evening, Ozie's son, Victor Mcbeath, had been out with friends before returning to the home
he shared with his father and brother. Demonta arrived shortly after and found his brother, Victor, acting erratically, pacing and talking to himself. Concerned, Demonta retreated to his own room and locked the door. The unsettling atmosphere of the house was shattered around 3:30 or 4 a.m. by the sound of a gunshot and a scream.
Rushing from his room, Demonta was confronted by the sight of his brother, Victor, holding a shotgun. When asked what he had done, Victor's only reply was an apology. A frantic search for his father led Demonta to Ozie's bedroom, where he found blood on a pillow but no sign of his father. The search ended in the living room, where Demonta discovered his father's body on a daybed.
A struggle ensued between the two brothers, with Victor now armed with a rifle. Demonta managed to disarm his brother and fled the house to call for help. When law enforcement arrived, they found that a fire had been intentionally set in the dining room of the home. Victor Mcbeath was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder and first-degree arson.
During the investigation, it was determined that Ozie had been shot in his bed and then moved to the living room. At trial, expert testimony confirmed that the shotgun hulls found in the bedroom matched the shotgun Victor had been holding and that Ozie's DNA was on the shirt Victor wore that night. Victor Mcbeath was found guilty of both first-degree murder and first-degree arson. He was sentenced to life in prison for the murder and an additional twenty years for the arson, with the sentences to be served consecutively.
