In the late afternoon of Mother's Day, May 11, 2014, H.L. 'Billy' Putnam, an 87-year-old World War II veteran, was shot and killed in his vehicle in Meridian, Mississippi. He had just purchased flowers for his wife at Vowell's Market Place on North Hills Street and was in the grocery store's parking lot when the incident occurred. The shooting appeared to be the result of a robbery.
Witnesses at the scene described seeing a young man running from the grocery store toward Shumate Road. An investigation led by the Meridian Police Department resulted in the arrest of Shon P. Byrd Jr. He was subsequently charged with capital murder, armed robbery, and three counts of credit card fraud in connection with Putnam's death. Two other individuals, Veronica Ferguson and Decarlos Santez Clark, were also implicated. Ferguson was charged as an accessory after the fact, and Clark was later convicted of two counts of credit card fraud and as an accessory after the fact in the case.
Byrd's first trial in April 2017 ended in a mistrial. A second trial was held in August of the same year. During the trial, testimony revealed that Putnam had been shot three times at close range. The prosecution presented 14 witnesses, including Ferguson and Clark, whose testimonies about the events of that day reportedly had some inconsistencies. After deliberation, the jury was deadlocked on the capital murder charge. However, they found Shon P. Byrd Jr. guilty of armed robbery and credit card fraud.
