Two Jackson Men Plead Guilty to Using a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime Causing the Death of an Individual

Jackson, Miss - Anthony Watson, 26, and Joshua Martin, 24, both from Jackson, pled guilty on Friday, May 20, 2016, before U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves, to using a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis announced today.

Watson and Martin admitted to killing Sharod Vaughn, 22, of Jackson, Mississippi, during the early morning hours of August 13, 2013, at 2034 Wisteria Drive in Jackson, Mississippi. Vaughn died of multiple gunshot wounds from the SKS rifle and .45 caliber pistol used by the defendants. The defendants were meeting with Vaughn to exchange the firearms for marijuana when the shooting occurred.

Watson and Martin will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves on September 1, 2016 at 1:30 p.m.

The investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with assistance from the Jackson Police Department. Also contributing to the investigation were the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office and the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Assistant United States Attorneys Mary Helen Wall and Pat Lemon are prosecuting the case.