In the small town of Mantachie, Mississippi, a community was shaken by an act of violence that broke a decades-long period of peace. Andre' Stephone 'Dre'' Taylor Jr., a 27-year-old male who had recently moved to the area, became the town's first murder victim in over forty years on July 12, 2015. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, on September 2, 1987, Taylor was a father to two daughters.
On that summer night, what began as a plan to steal marijuana escalated into a fatal armed robbery.
Taylor was shot and killed on Museum Drive in an incident that would lead to an extensive investigation involving the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, the Itawamba County Sheriff's Office, and the U.S. Marshal's Service. The swift and collaborative effort of these law enforcement agencies led to the apprehension of five suspects within 48 hours of the crime.
Those arrested and subsequently charged with capital murder were 22-year-old Demarco Kelly, 21-year-old Tyjuan C. Metcalf, 22-year-old Tyandre D. Thomas, 19-year-old Kyra E. McClenton, and 19-year-old Tonisha A. Johnson. During their initial court appearance, all five suspects were denied bond and held in the Itawamba County Jail.
The legal proceedings that followed saw the cases against the accused severed. In May 2019, Demarco Kelly stood trial for his involvement in Andre Taylor's death. An Itawamba County Circuit Court jury found Kelly guilty of capital murder for the killing of Taylor during the course of a burglary. Following the conviction, the court sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
