Two Columbus men allegedly linked to a Starkville homicide last weekend now face capital murder charges.
Charges against 20-year-old Jaylen Barker and 18-year-old Syboris A. Pippins, both of Lowndes County, were upgraded on Thursday, according to a Starkville Police Department press release. Barker was originally detained Sunday on a murder charge, while Pippins was arrested Tuesday for robbery.
Barker was also charged this week with possession of a stolen firearm.
Barker, Pippins and three other Lowndes County men were arrested after Mississippi State University student Joseph Tillman, 21, was robbed and shot to death on Maxwell Street last weekend.
Barker is in custody at the Clay County Jail on a $2.03 million bond, while Pippins remains at the Oktibbeha County Jail on a $2 million bond.
Capital murder charges can carry a death sentence or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Also charged with accessory after the fact were 16-year-old Tyler Harris, 22-year-old Jamario Pippins and 19-year-old Brandon Sherrod. Those three suspects, along with Barker, were arrested Sunday morning by Oktibbeha County deputies after they allegedly fled the scene.
At a Monday press conference, SPD Chief Frank Nichols said Tillman was walking along Maxwell Street, between Stagger-In and Bin 612, when he was approached by a number of suspects. The group interacted together for a few minutes, he said, at which time the alleged robbery occurred.
Tillman chased one person toward Stagger-In, Nichols said, and returned to confront the other suspects. At least one shot was fired during the second confrontation.
Police officers “have reason to believe” the victim used force during the interactions, Nichols said.
At one point, a police patrol car drove by the scene moments before the shooting, Nichols said, and officers did not see evidence of imminent violence.
Deputies found two guns in the vehicle the suspects occupied at the time of their detainment. Those weapons were sent to the Mississippi Crime Lab in Jackson for forensic testing.
Affidavits obtained by The Dispatch allege Harris allowed Barker access to a vehicle by “handing over the keys” and Sherrod drove the suspects away from the Cotton District.
Sherrod has posted bond since his arrest, SPD announced this week, while Harris was released as a minor and is expected to be processed through youth court.
Anyone with any information into this or any other incident is asked to contact the Starkville Police Department at 662-323-4131 or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 1-800-530-7151.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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