A Belzoni man was sentenced to 20 years this week in the Nov. 13, 2016 shooting death of a 15-year-old Indianola girl.
Dwayne Dabney, who pled guilty on March 6 to a lesser charge of manslaughter, was sentenced to 20 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with the last five years of the sentence on probation.
Judge Richard Smith presided over the sentencing.
The sentencing took place at the Leflore County Courthouse, according to a release this week by Sunflower County District Attorney W. Dewayne Richardson.
“It’s traumatic and sad that we are here because a 15-year-old young lady lost her life due to Dwayne Dabney bringing a gun to the scene,” Richardson said. “The loss of Ms. Hunter has impacted the entire community, and there’s nothing the State of Mississippi can do to bring Ms. Hunter back. The only thing we can do is ask this Court to render Justice.”
Dabney pled guilty this spring to shooting 15-year-old Earnestia “Ne Ne” Hunter, six days shy of her 16th birthday, the release said.
“State’s witnesses identified Dabney as the shooter who came to Ms. Hunter’s house to visit,” Richardson said. “Ms. Hunter was dropped off by Dabney at the Sunflower County Hospital after the shooting without providing any identifying information for the victim to medical personnel.”
Officers with the Indianola Police Department learned through the course of their investigation that Dabney was the individual that dropped Hunter off at the hospital and left to return to Belzoni, the release said.
Indianola Police Department officers made contact with the Belzoni Police Department in order to make contact with Dabney to have him transported back to Indianola.
On Tuesday, Judge Smith held a sentencing hearing where witnesses addressed the Court regarding how this incident has affected them and this community.
The case was prosecuted by District Attorney W. Dewayne Richardson and Assistant District Attorney Takiyah Perkins.
