Jackson Enters Plea In Murder
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Fredarrious
Wilson was killed in 2023
COFFEEVILLE — Nearly three years after an Arkansas teenager was found shot to death in the Holly Springs National Forest, the first of four defendants charged in the case has entered a guilty plea.
Layvonnia Alicia Jackson pled guilty Tuesday, Feb. 17, during a hearing in Coffeeville before Circuit Judge Jimmy McClure III.
As part of the plea proceedings, filings indicate Jackson is expected to testify “completely and truthfully” against any co-defendant who proceeds to trial.
Sentencing has been set for March 19 at 9 a.m. in the Yalobusha County Courthouse in Water Valley. Her bond remains as previously set pending sentencing.
Under Mississippi law, second degree murder carries a potential sentence of up to 40 years imprisonment. Conspiracy to commit murder carries a possible sentence of up to 20 years. The final sentence will be determined by the court.
The plea marks the first conviction in the March 2023 killing of Fredarrious Wilson.
Wilson, an 18-year-old West Memphis, Ark. high school senior, was reported missing March 5, 2023. His body was discovered March 8 in a remote area of the Holly Springs National Forest approximately 30 yards off County Road 243 between Coffeeville and Oakland.
Yalobusha County Sheriff Jerimaine Gooch previously told the Herald that deputies began searching the area after West Memphis Police were able to ping Wilson’s cellphone in the forest.
“That was our first involvement in this case,” Gooch said at the time. “The search was difficult because the general area where the phone pinged is very remote and it was already dark during most of the search.”
A U.S. Forest Service employee spotted Wilson’s body the following morning.
Investigators reported that Wilson had been shot multiple times and that bullet casings were recovered at the scene. Authorities later indicated the crime did not appear to be random and that Wilson likely knew at least one of the suspects.
Following what District Attorney Jay Hale described as an exhaustive multi-agency investigation spanning Mississippi and Arkansas, four Coffeeville residents were arrested and charged: Layvonnia Alicia Jackson, Brandon Jackson, Bralin Jackson and Devin Smith. Bond was set at $1 million each.
The cases against the remaining three defendants are now moving forward on separate tracks.
Bralin Jackson and Brandon Jackson each have plea settings scheduled for March 5 before Judge McClure. If no plea agreement is reached, a jury trial is scheduled for March 16 at the Coffeeville courthouse.
Devin Smith’s case has involved multiple mental health proceedings. Court orders reflect that a McNaghten analysis was requested to evaluate 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 competence-to-stand-trial evaluation was recently submitted to the court under seal.
