MADISON COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – A 22-year-old Flora man was found guilty in connection to a fatal shooting that happened in early 2023.

Madison County District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced that Jakeviyon Hunter was found guilty of one count of first degree murder and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle after a three day jury trial in the Madison County Circuit Court.

Hunter was sentenced to life in prison for the murder charge and five years for shooting into a vehicle.

The shooting happened on St. Charles Street in Flora on January 21, 2023. Madison County deputies said they found Jaquarius Ross deceased with multiple gun shots to the left side of his body.

Investigators were able to obtain surveillance footage from a neighboring home. They said the video showed Ross pull up at the residence, and an individual approached his truck and fired nine shots into the vehicle. The suspect then ran away from the scene, but investigators could tell the suspect was wearing a tan colored hoodie.

The passenger of the vehicle was unharmed and was able to tell investigators that Hunter was the gunman.

According to Bramlett, phone records showed that Hunter had told Ross to come to his home under the guise of bringing him a pair of shoes. Investigators had found the shoes still in the victim’s lap when he was murdered. They were also able to use the location data stored on Hunter’s phone to put him on the scene.

Bramlett said it appeared Hunter was motivated to shoot Ross due to a prior dispute between the two.