In the early morning hours of September 6, 2014, a dispute at a party held at the fairgrounds in Columbus, Mississippi, set in motion a chain of events that would end in tragedy. Joshua Anthony Richardson, a 24-year-old man, was with Tevin Harris, who had an ongoing disagreement with Quinton Erby. An argument between Harris and Erby at the party escalated but was broken up before a physical fight could ensue.
Later that morning, around 1:30 a.m., a shooting occurred near the intersection
of Cherry and Peach streets. Officers who responded to the scene initially found only one victim, who was not identified but was transported to the hospital with a gunshot wound. It wasn't until approximately five hours later, around 6:30 a.m., that family members discovered Joshua Anthony Richardson's body in some bushes behind an apartment complex near the scene of the shooting. He had sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
The investigation into Richardson's death led to the arrests of two brothers. Quinton Erby was arrested and charged with murder just three days after the shooting. His brother, Kirby Erby, was also later arrested and charged with Richardson's murder. The case against Quinton Erby moved through the legal system, and in the spring of 2018, he admitted to shooting Joshua Richardson. Erby claimed he fired wildly in the heat of the moment after seeing Tevin Harris appear to reach for a gun. He agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter and received a 20-year sentence.
The aftermath of Joshua's death was a long and painful journey for his mother, Lillie Richardson. For years, she was consumed by anger and a desire for justice for her son. A significant moment in her healing process came when she learned that Quinton Erby had expressed remorse for his actions and apologized for the pain he caused her family. This apology, relayed to her by her husband who had shaken Erby's hand, planted the seed of forgiveness, which she grappled with through her faith.
