In the summer of 2014, the life of 19-year-old Anthony Beene, a Black male, was cut tragically short in Corinth, Mississippi. On the evening of July 23rd, an altercation broke out at John Street Park, culminating in a fatal shooting that would deeply affect the local community. During the dispute, Amartrie Moss, then 17, pulled out a gun and shot Beene multiple times.
Wounded, Beene fled the scene, running up Droke Road to a nearby house in a desperate attempt to find help.
He collapsed on the front porch of the residence, where he was found after a 911 call was made. By the time police arrived, Beene had succumbed to his injuries. Witnesses at the park identified Moss as the shooter, setting in motion a search for the young suspect.
The day after the shooting, the investigation took a significant turn when Moss's own mother contacted the police chief. Believing she knew her son's whereabouts, she arranged to turn him in, and Moss was in custody by the early morning hours. He was charged as an adult with the murder of Anthony Beene.
In March 2016, Amartrie Moss, then 18, appeared in court and pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder. Before the sentence was handed down, he expressed his remorse for his actions. In a poignant and unexpected moment, Beene's mother, Tashia Beene Johnson, addressed her son's killer, telling him that she forgave him before the two embraced in the courtroom. Moss was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the shooting death of Anthony Beene.
