Jaylen Wells pleads to manslaughter, sentenced in 2021 Tupelo killings
Jaylen Wells, 22, pleaded guilty to three separate manslaughter charges and was sentenced to 31 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with an additional 29 years suspended, a press release posted by the Tupelo Police Department said. The release is dated Oct. 6, 2026.
The press release, credited to District Attorney Jason D. Herring, says the charges stem from the deaths of Norahs Coleman, Jessica Pannell and Robben Wilson on July 24, 2021, while they were at a social gathering on Maynard Drive in Tupelo. The release says Wells was apprehended in Albany, New York.
The release notes Wells had been set for trial to begin Oct. 26, 2026, in the Circuit Court of Lee County, Mississippi, before he entered the guilty pleas.
Three other defendants previously pleaded guilty in connection with the same incident, the release says. Taquon Garth was sentenced May 1, 2026, to a total of 60 years for three manslaughter charges; Javion Clifton was sentenced Sept. 20, 2023, to 20 years with an additional 40 years suspended for three manslaughter charges; and Shamar Carroll was sentenced Sept. 20, 2023, to 15 years with an additional five years suspended for Accessory After the Fact to Capital Murder.
The release commends the Tupelo Police Department investigation led by Det. Tyler Cook and names Assistant District Attorney Josh Wise as the prosecutor. It also names DA Office Criminal Investigator Mike Newlin and Victim’s Assistance Coordinator Sheila Kelly as having worked on the cases since 2021 and extends the District Attorney’s office’s sorrow to the victims’ families, the release says.
Source: Tupelo Police Department on Facebook
