Mississippi
Kansas City, Mississippi men sentenced to life in federal prison
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The two men who were found guilty in an August 2023 trial for their roles in a drug trafficking scheme including two murders were sentenced this week in federal court.
Shawn “Deuce” Burkhalter, 35, of Kansas City, Missouri was sentenced to life in federal prison without parole by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes on June 21. His co-defendant, Joshua “T” Nesbitt, 30, of Crowder, Mississippi was sentenced the day prior, also to life in federal prison without parole.
The government filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty for both defendants in 2019. The trial began on August 7, 2023.
On August 28, 2023, Burkhalter and Nesbitt were both convicted at trial of one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana, one count of possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute, one count of robbery, two counts of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and a drug-trafficking crime, one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, one count of being felons in possession of a firearm, one count of conspiracy to commit witness and evidence tampering, one count of murdering a potential witness and one count of evidence tampering. Burkhalter was convicted of one additional count of witness tampering.
From 2008 to 2018, Burkhalter and Nesbitt engaged in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana. Six additional co-defendants have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy.
Trial evidence shows that Burkhalter and Nesbitt stole cocaine from Danny Lamont Dean on September 10, 2015, shooting and killing him with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle in the process.
Less than a month later, on October 4, Nesbitt and others stole marijuana from Anthony Dwayne Johnson. During the robbery, Nesbitt shot and killed Johnson with the same AR-15 rifle. Trial evidence shows that the crime was at the direction of Burkhalter who was detained in custody at the time of the murder. Trial evidence also shows that Johnson was killed because Burkhalter suspected him of providing information to investigations regarding Burkhalter’s involvement in Dean’s murder.
Burkhalter and Nesbitt robbed a Kansas City, Mo. business in September of 2015, brandishing the same AR-15 rifle.
The government provided evidence at the June 20 sentencing hearing that Nesbitt assaulted detention facility staff on more than one occasion while awaiting trial.
Co-defendants Shakira Hooker and Autry Hines, both of Kansas City, Joslyn Lee and Nickayla Jones, both of Blue Springs, Rachel Ryce of Raytown and Anthony Peltier of Lawrence have pleaded guilty and had previously been sentenced.
Coming off an exciting end to the season that saw them nearly make a miracle run to the NCAA Tournament, the Ole Miss Rebels have now lost a notable transfer portal battle to their heated rivals this offseason, leaving Chris Beard and the coaching staff with more questions about how to fill out their roster for next year.
Mississippi State has landed a commitment from Washington State transfer forward ND Okafor, giving the Bulldogs their fifth portal addition of the offseason. Okafor’s decision to choose Starkville comes as a surprise less than a month after he had announced his commitment to Ole Miss. He originally didn’t even have Mississippi State as one of his original finalists, but it’s clear head coach Chris Jans and the Bulldogs won him over.
By fumbling the commitment of Okafor, the Rebels miss out on a player who has four years of high-major experience and is coming off of the best season of his career. He started all 32 games for Washington State this past season, averaging 11 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Okafor began his career at California and will now be playing for Mississippi State in his final year of college basketball.
Where Ole Miss Basketball’s Transfer Portal Class Stands
The Rebels have had a somewhat underwhelming offseason in the portal. Beard and staff brought in some interesting portal pieces last year but it remains to be seen how this offseason’s portal class stacks up.
Ole Miss has already landed five portal commitments, though the team has yet to add a true star-studded transfer. The Rebels have Pepperdine center Stefan Cicic, Seton Hall guard Adam Clark, James Madison forward Christian Brown, Saint Jospeh’s forward Dasear Haskins and Pitt forward Roman Siulepa.
As things stands, Ole Miss doesn’t have a portal addition that truly stands out as a potential game-changer for next season. Clark does offer some intrigue though, as he averaged 12.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.0 steals at Seton Hall last season. A strong defender and creator, Clark has started all 99 career games dating back to his first two years at Merrimack and will no doubt bring a veteran presence to the Ole Miss roster.
But the Rebels need more. Okafor would have been a solid addition on the wing who fits the defensive-mind approach that Beard is looking for.
It will be interesting to see where the Rebels go from here after missing out on a portal addition to their arch rivals.
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This week on Behind the Lens: “Paraquat and Parkinson’s.” Wayne County, Mississippi is the largest emitter of paraquat in the world, an herbicide linked to the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease. Environmental reporter Delaney Nolan explains the safety concerns and what they could mean for affected communities.
Theme music by Podington Bear. Additional music includes “Rumor” by Podington Bear (soundofpicture.com) and “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell.
This story is a product of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an independent reporting network based at the University of Missouri, in partnership with Report for America, with major funding from the Walton Family Foundation.
Music Credits:
Theme music by Podington Bear
Additional music “Rumor” by Podington Bear from soundofpicture.com and “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchel
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