This is part 3 of a series The Enterprise-Tocsin is doing to examine what elements contribute to prolonged criminal cases in Sunflower County and a look at the impact on victims’ families. If you would like to share your experience with delayed justice please call 662-887-2222 or email jjohnson@enterprise-tocsin.com.
A day originally intended for celebration would turn tragic for the Gilson family in Indianola in 2015, as the date now marks the anniversary of the murder of the family’s patriarch Willie J Gilson III.
December 18 is also Gilson’s first grandson Jamari’s birthday.
Six years after Jamari’s birth, on a Friday evening, Gilson was shot in front of his grandson outside his own home after leaving a local convenience store. Gilson’s wife, Rhonda Gilson, describes it as a day they will never forget.
Although they can’t take away the pain, Gilson said they try to put their best foot forward, even as justice still waits for her husband.
“It’s the baby’s birthday, and we have had to make his day extra special,” Gilson said. “Not only did cowards take his ‘Bawbaw,’ but he also witnessed it.”
Gilson’s grandson was reportedly in the front seat of his grandfather’s 1996 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck when the shooting took place.
“No child should have to go through anything like that,” Gilson said. “That hurts, and pain is in us. I can’t change, pacify, or pray away that pain.”
It was by no surprise Gilson’s grandson was spending his birthday with his grandfather. The two had a strong bond.
“He loved family time with us, but when Jamari came along, we all had to take a step back for their bondage,” Gilson said.
Gilson still witnesses the impact her husband had on their grandson.
“Willie was the father figure in Jamari’s life,” Gilson said. “He stepped in to teach him what he was supposed to know. Jamari is very wise beyond his years because of his grandfather’s teachings.”
Gilson’s wife said he displayed those teachings daily with his lifestyle.
“Willie was a man that provided for his family,” Gilson said. “Willie is the epitome of a strong black man. He helped anyone that needed help.”
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation handled the case because Willie Gilson was the brother of Indianola Police Lt. Earnest Gilson. Assailants seemingly shot Gilson during an attempted robbery after being seen with a sizeable amount of cash at a local convenience store.
A task force of local law enforcement agencies, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Marshals arrested the assailants roughly a month after the incident. Lucas Edwards, Garrick Price, and Vilandrius Gibson were to stand trial for capital murder.
Almost seven years later, the Gilson family still awaits justice.
“Now, it would take two years before we heard anything from the court about a trial,” Gilson said.
Once the Gilson family did receive a trial date, they would experience a string of delays and continuances.
“Each time we went to a court date, something always came up where the court could not be held,” Gilson said. “No one is serving time for my husband’s death.”
The trial hit another snag in the road after one of the defendants’ attorneys was involved in a car accident. The trial was reportedly moved after Sunflower County Circuit Court was unsuccessful in seating a workable jury. The case was declared a mistrial due to several unexpected changes. The trial finally began in Leflore county, four years after the incident on December 2, 2019, but was delayed again due to the case’s prosecutor's emergency.
Most recently, Virlandrius Gibson and Garrick Price both pled guilty to manslaughter and the case is still unresolved with at least two other defendants set to stand trial.
Gilson hopes to one day seek justice for her late husband.
“Getting justice and closure seems so far off but God,” Gilson said. “We want justice for my husband, my children's father, and my grandchildren's grandfather. We want justice because the closure will never happen because he’s not coming back to this side of the earth. We will never see him again on this side.”
