On the early morning of July 5, 2015, violence erupted outside of Club Memories in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, claiming the life of Jabarri Goudy. The 17-year-old Black male was fatally shot around 2 a.m. in the chaotic scene at the local nightclub. The incident immediately spurred a homicide investigation by local authorities, who were under pressure to swiftly close the case involving the death of the teenager.
Investigators initially focused their attention on Arthur J. Jones Jr., arresting him just days after the shooting and charging him with murder. Jones was detained for nine months, facing the possibility of a life sentence, despite his insistence on his innocence. It was eventually revealed through surveillance footage that Jones was approximately 70 miles away in Gulfport, Mississippi, at a different club with friends when the crime occurred. This exculpatory evidence, which placed him far from the scene of the shooting, led to his eventual release and the dismissal of charges, though he later filed a civil lawsuit against the lead detective for the wrongful arrest and suppression of evidence.
Following the exoneration of Jones, authorities directed their focus toward Andreco Deshun Guston. Evidence pointed to Guston as the individual responsible for Goudy's death. Guston was subsequently indicted and prosecuted for the crime. The legal proceedings concluded with Guston being convicted of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to a term of 30 years in prison, with a mandate to serve at least 12 years behind bars for his role in the killing.
