WEBB — Three Tallahatchie County men have been arrested in connection with the Oct. 12 shooting death of a Tutwiler resident here.
Webb Acting Police Chief Amos Mitchner identified the three suspects as David M. Holman, 24, of 403 West St., Tutwiler; Jeffrey Dewayne Martin, 27, of 508 West St., Tutwiler; and Alexander Scott, 35, of 2446 Highway 32 W., Webb.
“These individuals have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, and second-degree murder,” said Steven Jubera, assistant district attorney for the 17th Circuit Court District.
In addition, Scott has been charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, according to an arrest report from the Tallahatchie County Jail in Sumner.
The three men are being held without bond, Mitchner said, and they face a Nov. 9 hearing in Tallahatchie County Justice Court in Sumner.
An altercation escalated to multiple gunshots being fired on North Chickasaw Street in Webb shortly after 9 p.m. last Wednesday, Mitchner noted.
Tallahatchie County Coroner Ginger Meriwether said 22-year-old Moseah McDanail, who sometimes listed his surname as McDaniel, died at the scene from an apparent single gunshot wound. She said his body was sent for autopsy.
While Meriwether said McDanail’s driver’s license listed him as a Webb resident of 335 Third St., Mitchner said McDanail had been living in Tutwiler.
Mitchner said McDanail’s body was found “on the grounds of New Beginning Missionary Baptist Church, about 35 yards from the street.”
The chief said a .40-caliber spent casing was discovered at the scene, and numerous bullet holes riddled the right passenger side of a nearby vehicle.
Mitchner said officials are still trying to nail down a motive and exactly what transpired, explaining that the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is the lead agency in the case.
The chief said the three suspects are believed to have been in a car with McDanail on the night of the shooting and may have been involved in an altercation with him “earlier in the week” as well as just “before the shooting.”
Mitchner noted that the three were rounded up with the aid of area law enforcement agencies and were initially held for investigation before being formally charged.
The assistant DA said while charges have been filed, the work is far from done.
“This is one of those cases where you have a whole lot of dirt left to till before it all gets settled,” said Jubera, who added, “We are awaiting results from our crime lab as well as other sources.”
Asked about a rumor that the victim in this case was not the intended target of the shooting, Jubera did not directly answer the question but described the nature of the second-degree murder charge filed against the defendants.
“Second-degree murder is what used to be called depraved-heart murder,” he said. “So they were charged for, instead of deliberate-design murder, depraved-heart murder.”
Jubera explained that murder by deliberate design means that a victim was the intended target. Depraved-heart murder, he noted, suggests the killing of someone without premeditation to effect that particular person’s death.
“The charge may be upgraded to first-degree murder, but we have to wait until all the facts come in,” Jubera noted.
IN THE PHOTO: Shooting victim Moseah McDanail is shown in an image posted to his Facebook page.
