On a May evening in 2014, Marquai TaeKirkland, a male resident of Philadelphia, Mississippi, was outside his home with his brother when a green Ford Explorer approached. An arrangement was made for Kirkland to get a ride. After briefly going back inside to retrieve a gun, he got into the passenger seat of the vehicle. This would be the last time his brother saw him alive.
The driver of the Explorer was later identified as Samuel Amos Jr. Also in the vehicle was another man, D'Nado Hunter. At some point during the drive, Amos instructed Hunter to take the wheel. Shortly after, Amos fired a single, fatal gunshot to Kirkland's head. Following the shooting, Amos dragged Kirkland's body from the vehicle and left it on the side of a gravel road. He then threatened Hunter, warning him to remain silent.
An investigation into the homicide led authorities to Samuel Amos Jr. He was subsequently indicted by a Neshoba County Grand Jury for first-degree murder. During the trial, D'Nado Hunter, who was initially also charged in connection with the murder, testified against Amos. Hunter recounted the events of that day, detailing how Amos shot Kirkland and disposed of his body. Supporting evidence presented at the trial included fingerprint and DNA evidence linking Amos to the Ford Explorer where the murder took place.
Ultimately, the jury found Samuel Amos guilty of the murder of Marquai Kirkland. Having also been indicted as a habitual offender, the court sentenced Amos to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His subsequent appeals, which argued issues with accomplice testimony instructions and a motion for a mistrial, were denied by the Mississippi Supreme Court, upholding the conviction.
