MADISON COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – A Louisiana man pled guilty to second degree murder in connection to the shooting death of a Canton man.

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced that Querjajuan Butler, 24, of Metaire, Louisiana, was sentenced to serve the maximum of 40 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC). His co-defendant, Ikela Ephriam, pled guilty to accessory after the fact to murder and was sentenced to serve eight years.

Madison County deputies responded to a home on Whisper Ridge on June 9, 2022, where a man had been shot multiple times. The victim, Marquez Lindsey, died from his injuries after being transported to the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC).

Investigators said they identified the suspect as Butler who had come to Canton from New Orleans.

According to prosecutors, Butler had recently began a relationship with Ephriam after the two met in New Orleans, but Ephraim was also in a relationship with the victim.

Investigators said an altercation between Butler and Lindsey at Ephraim’s residence ultimately led to Butler shooting Lindsey multiple times. They said Ephriam then drove Butler into Jackson and away from the scene.