Two Plead Guilty In Ambush Killing
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By David Howell, Editor, North Ms Herald
COFFEEVILLE — Two more defendants have pleaded guilty in the ambush killing of Arkansas teenager Fredarrious Wilson who was lured to a remote section of the Holly Springs National Forest in Yalobusha County and shot to death in March 2023.
Bralin Jackson, the husband of co-defendant Layvonnia Jackson, and Brandon Jackson entered guilty pleas Thursday, March 5, during Circuit Court proceedings held in Tate County before Circuit Judge Jimmy McClure III. The pleas were part of negotiated plea agreements reached between prosecutors and defense attorneys and presented to the court for approval.
Assistant District Attorney Marvell Gordon and District Attorney Jay Hale prosecuted the case. The defendants were represented by Coffeeville attorney Bradley Peeples.
As part of the plea agreement, McClure sentenced both defendants to 20 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections on the murder charge. On the conspiracy to commit murder charge, each defendant was ordered to serve 20 years of post-release supervision following release from prison, including five years of reporting supervision and 15 years of non-reporting supervision. The court also ordered the defendants to have no contact with the victim’s family.
Their pleas bring the number of defendants who have admitted guilt in the killing of Wilson to three. Layvonnia Alicia Jackson previously entered a guilty plea Feb. 17 during a hearing before Judge McClure in Coffeeville. She is scheduled for sentencing on March 19 at 9 a.m. in the Yalobusha County Courthouse in Water Valley.
During the plea hearing, prosecutors outlined the sequence of events they said the state was prepared to prove at trial. According to the factual basis presented in court, the defendants conspired to kill Wilson after Bralin Jackson discovered that his wife had been involved in a sexual relationship with Wilson after searching her cellphone.
Wilson’s mother, Shirley Howell, previously told reporters that her son knew Layvonnia Jackson through their work at a FedEx facility in the Memphis area.
Prosecutors stated during the hearing that Bralin Jackson devised a plan to lure Wilson from Arkansas to Mississippi. Layvonnia Jackson traveled to West Memphis and picked Wilson up, and surveillance video captured the pair together at a McDonald’s restaurant before leaving the area. She then drove Wilson across the Mississippi River into north Mississippi after receiving a GPS pin from Bralin Jackson directing her where to go.
According to the state’s account, Bralin Jackson, Brandon Jackson and Devin Smith were already waiting in a remote area of the Holly Springs National Forest in Yalobusha County.
When the vehicle arrived, Wilson was pulled from the vehicle and shot multiple times.
Wilson’s body was later discovered about 30 yards off County Road 243 between Coffeeville and Oakland.
Wilson, a senior at the Academies of West Memphis, was only months away from graduation when he was killed. His mother had reported him missing March 5, 2023, after he failed to return home after going to the movies with a classmate.
Two days later, West Memphis police contacted the Yalobusha County Sheriff’s Department after Wilson’s cellphone was pinged in a remote area of Yalobusha County. Deputies began searching the forest that evening and continued until after midnight without success. The following morning, March 8, a U.S. Forest Service employee discovered Wilson’s body approximately 30 yards off County Road 243.
Investigators said Wilson had been shot multiple times and shell casings were recovered at the scene.
Within a week of the discovery of Wilson’s body, four Coffeeville residents were arrested and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder: Layvonnia Alicia Jackson, Bralin Jackson, Brandon Jackson and Devin Smith.
The case against the fourth defendant, Devin Smith, remains pending. Court records show Smith’s case has involved several mental-health evaluations, including a McNaghten analysis to determine his mental condition at the time of the alleged offense and whether he understood the nature of his actions and the difference between right and wrong. A competency-to-stand-trial evaluation has also been submitted to the court under seal.
