Jacqueze Marshall v. State of Mississippi

CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedJune 9, 2026
Docket2025-KA-00011-COA
StatusPublished

This text of Jacqueze Marshall v. State of Mississippi (Jacqueze Marshall v. State of Mississippi) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jacqueze Marshall v. State of Mississippi, (Mich. Ct. App. 2026).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI

NO. 2025-KA-00011-COA

JACQUEZE MARSHALL APPELLANT

v.

STATE OF MISSISSIPPI APPELLEE

DATE OF JUDGMENT: 12/19/2024 TRIAL JUDGE: HON. WILLIAM HUNTER NOWELL COURT FROM WHICH APPEALED: BOLIVAR COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT, SECOND JUDICIAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT: OFFICE OF STATE PUBLIC DEFENDER BY: MOLLIE MARIE McMILLIN ATTORNEY FOR APPELLEE: OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL BY: ALLISON ELIZABETH HORNE DISTRICT ATTORNEY: BRENDA FAY MITCHELL NATURE OF THE CASE: CRIMINAL - FELONY DISPOSITION: REVERSED AND REMANDED - 06/09/2026 MOTION FOR REHEARING FILED:

BEFORE WILSON, P.J., EMFINGER AND LASSITTER ST. PÉ, JJ.

LASSITTER ST. PÉ, J., FOR THE COURT:

¶1. Jacqueze Marshall was indicted for the first-degree murder of Jafarrion Lewis in

September 2021. Following a trial, a Bolivar County jury found Marshall guilty as charged.1

On appeal, Marshall argues that the trial court erred by refusing to admit evidence that

supported his theory of defense and that he was prejudiced by the error. Specifically,

Marshall sought to introduce another man’s indictment, bond information, and an order of

nolle prosequi as to the man’s indictment. The indictment included a count of intimidating

1 Marshall was first tried in May 2022, but his conviction was reversed by this Court. Marshall v. State, 393 So. 3d 1113 (Miss. Ct. App. 2024). a witness—Jafarrion Lewis—who was the sole witness to a crime. Lewis was later killed,

and the indictment was nolle prossed.

¶2. After review, we hold that the trial court abused its discretion by refusing to admit the

documents Marshall presented, which were relevant and did not violate Mississippi Rule of

Evidence 403. We also hold that the exclusion of the evidence was not harmless, and we

reverse and remand for a new trial.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

¶3. Chad Lankawell was driving on Pearman Road in Cleveland when he noticed a car

in front of him stopped in the road. He saw the car reverse and drive around something on

the right side of the road before pulling over. As Lankawell approached, he noticed a body

in the road, which was later identified as Lewis. Lankawell and the driver of the other car got

out and looked at Lewis’s body. Lankawell checked for a pulse but found none. Lankawell

told the other man he would call the police, and the other man left.

¶4. Lankawell did not catch the other man’s name but did give law enforcement the

license plate number on the man’s red pickup truck to law enforcement. At trial, law

enforcement officers were not able to recall if they had been able to locate the man or the

owner of the truck. Lankawell testified that he did not think the man seemed nervous or like

he was trying to hide.

¶5. Deputy James Winston of the Bolivar County Sheriff’s Department testified he

responded to the scene sometime after 6:00 p.m. Deputy Winston noticed that Lewis

2 appeared to have been shot. He found two 9-millimeter shell casings near Lewis’s body.

Officers also collected samples of broken glass found “approximately an eighth to a quarter

mile” south of Lewis’s body.

¶6. Deputy Chris McCain viewed the surveillance footage from a convenience store near

the road where Lewis was found. Deputy McCain testified that an image from the recording

showed Marshall’s blue pickup driving in the direction of where Lewis’s body was found.

Deputy McCain testified that the image was taken at approximately 6:45 p.m. on June 19,

2021.

¶7. Marshall’s father, Lee, testified at trial he received a call from Marshall’s girlfriend,

Codijah Alexander, on June 19, asking if she could bring over some of Marshall’s clothes.

When Alexander arrived, she was with another man whom Lee did not know. Alexander

brought a bag that she said had Marshall’s clothes in it, and Lee told her to put it in the

garage. Lee testified that he did not look or touch the bag. One day shortly thereafter, law

enforcement officers came to Lee’s house and took the bag. Lee never saw anyone other than

Alexander and law enforcement with the bag. Lee could not recall at trial how law

enforcement learned about the bag, but Sergeant Jonathan Trotter testified at trial that Lee

called him personally to tell him about the bag.

¶8. Sergeant Trotter testified that Lee told him Alexander had brought a bag of clothes

to his house and that he (Lee) wanted to get rid of it. Sergeant Trotter retrieved the bag,

which he testified felt too heavy to be only clothes. Sergeant Trotter took the bag to Chief

3 Gerald Wesley’s home, where they and Deputy McCain opened it. The bag contained some

clothing and a .380-caliber Jimenez Arms firearm.

¶9. Around 9:00 or 10:00 p.m. on June 19, Chief Patrick Johnson of the Shelby Police

Department learned that the sheriff’s department was looking for Marshall. Chief Johnson

located Marshall in a blue Chevrolet pickup truck at the Super Saver in Shelby. Chief

Johnson testified that Marshall was standing outside the truck when he approached, and he

briefly detained Marshall until the sheriff arrived.

¶10. After Marshall’s arrest, Deputy McCain photographed Marshall’s truck. He noticed

that the passenger side window was shattered. Deputy McCain also swabbed Marshall’s

hands for gunshot residue and sent the samples to the crime lab. During the swabbing,

Marshall told Deputy McCain that he had been with Alexander most of the day and had gone

to a party at Lee’s house.

¶11. Chief Johnson already knew Marshall because he knew Marshall’s girlfriend,

Alexander. Alexander and Chief Johnson’s wife are cousins. The day after Marshall’s arrest,

Alexander and her cousin Markees Parker-Shorter called Chief Johnson and told him they

had a weapon to turn over. Chief Johnson met with Alexander and Parker-Shorter, and they

gave him a 9-millimeter Jimenez Arms firearm. Alexander claimed that Marshall had stolen

it. Chief Johnson turned the gun over to Sergeant Trotter.

¶12. Alexander was unavailable as a witness but had testified at a previous trial. Her

testimony was read into the record. Alexander testified that she and Marshall were not dating

4 on June 19, but they had been together in Shelby that day to take family photos with their

children. She did not see him after the photo session. Alexander testified that sometime that

night or the next day, she heard rumors that the police were looking for Marshall.

¶13. Alexander identified the 9-millimeter handgun she had turned over to Chief Johnson.

Alexander testified that it was her gun and had been purchased by her cousin, Parker-Shorter.

Alexander said that she kept the gun at her home, stored away from the children, and did not

let anyone use it. She was not sure if Marshall had access to it.

¶14. Alexander also identified the bag containing clothes and a .380-caliber firearm that

she had stashed at Lee’s house. Alexander testified that she told Lee what was in the bag and

that she wanted no part in whatever was going on. Alexander said Parker-Shorter had seen

the bag at her apartment, and after a discussion, she decided to get rid of the bag.

¶15. Parker-Shorter testified that he was living with Alexander in June 2021. He testified

that he stopped by the apartment sometime between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. to get ready for a

party. Marshall met him at the door. Marshall told Parker-Shorter that he was waiting for

Alexander to come home.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Jacqueze Marshall v. State of Mississippi, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jacqueze-marshall-v-state-of-mississippi-missctapp-2026.