Three plead to roles in 2022 fatal Starkville drive-by shooting

STARKVILLE – In exchange for their testimony against the shooter, three men inside the car during a deadly drive-by shooting two years ago will not spend the rest of their lives in prison.

An Oktibbeha County jury found Christopher Perkins guilty of murder in the Jan. 5, 2022 death of LaSang Kemp Jr., 9, last week and sentenced him to life in prison. Barron Hubbard, 33; Tabyron Fisher, 24; and Dellveon Lindsey, 22; were arrested days after the drive-by shooting and were all initially charged with one count of murder and six counts of aggravated assault.

But testifying against Perkins earned all three a pass on the murder charge and its life sentence.

"They are all guilty as accomplices," District Attorney Scott Colom said, "but they will have to get some benefit from their testimony."

Hubbard pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second degree murder. Judge Jay Howard sentenced Hubbard to serve 20 years in prison with 5 years of post-release supervision. The state dropped the other charges.

On his petition to enter a guilty plea, Hubbard said, "I aided and abetted Christopher Perkins in the commission of an act emminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved heart, regardless of human life, although without any premeditated design to effect the death of LaSang Kemp Jr."

Lindsey was allowed to plead to an even lesser charge — manslaughter — and was sentenced to serve 15 years, with 5 years post-release supervision. State dropped the other charges.

"I participated in a series of actions that unintentionally caused the death of another," Lindsey admitted on his petition.

Fisher has filed a motion to plead guilty to two counts of aggravated assault, saying, "I committed the offenses as charged in the indictment."

One charge was for the shooting incident on Santa Anna Drive that killed Kemp. The earlier charge was for a separate drive-by where the men shot at Kemp's father near the intersection of Carver and Hiawassee drives. As part of the plea agreement, he is expected to be sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison with 15 years suspended. That leaves a pair of 5-year terms to be served consecutively.

Angelica Robertson has yet to go to trial on the charge of accessory after the fact of murder. She is accused of helping Perkins avoid arrest in the days following the shooting. Her trial was continued Friday. It was the eighth time her trial date has been postponed. She is now scheduled to appear in court Feb. 6, 2025.

Authorities say the men had a beef with LaSang Kemp Sr. that dated back at least a year. They spotted the elder Kemp and the two cars exchanged gunfire in a rolling incident near the Brookville Garden apartments. Kemp Sr. was eventually able to elude the suspects.

A short time later, Kemp's parents were leaving Santa Anita Drive, about a mile away from the location of the first drive-by, when the suspects, including Perkins, opened fire on the car. Kemp Jr. was hit twice, once in the heart and died.