Crystal Springs Man Sentenced to over 9 Years in Prison for Brandishing a Firearm During a Carjacking in Jackson

Jackson, Miss. – A Crystal Springs man was sentenced today to 110 months in prison for brandishing a firearm while carjacking a woman in front of her home in Jackson.

According to court documents, Christopher Lawrence Murray, 31, brandished a pistol during a carjacking in the Jackson area. In May of 2021, Murray and another man approached a woman sitting in her car in front of her home.  Working in tandem, both men pointed pistols at the woman and demanded she hand over her cellular phone and the keys to her car. The woman, at gunpoint, complied with the demands and the men left in the woman’s car.

Murray was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 6, 2023, and he pled guilty on July 31, 2024, to brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.   

U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.

The Jackson Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bert Carraway prosecuted the case.

In an effort to focus resources on carjacking in Jackson, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Jackson Police Department and the Capitol Police Department formed a carjacking task force in April of 2024.  In keeping with the Justice Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime, the task force represents a strategic enforcement priority for the department, focusing federal resources on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of violent crime.