Monya Davis sentenced to life in prison for murder of Jackson rapper Lil’ Lonnie

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Hinds County Circuit Judge Faye Peterson sentenced Monya Davis to life in prison Tuesday, a month after he was convicted of murder in the shooting death of Jackson Rapper Lil Lonnie Taylor.

With Davis standing in front of her in a prison outfit and shackles, Peterson said that handing down a sentence gave her no great pleasure.

“Not only was one young man’s life taken, but your life was taken. It’s a very tragic circumstance to see two very young people lose their chance and opportunities,” she said. “What is most unfortunate and scary about this is it made no sense.

“You didn’t know each other. You hadn’t met each other. Just in a random, impulsive moment, someone lost their life,” she said.

Davis will be taken into the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

Davis was found guilty by a jury on June 3 in connection with the April 2018 shooting death. Marshun Carr and Antoine Carr are also charged with murder in the case.

Marshun’s trial is slated for September 30, having been continued from May 31, court records indicate. Antoine’s trial is slated for November 8, records show.

The shooting occurred on Montebello Drive. Lonnie was in his vehicle with a passenger when he was fatally shot.

Peterson said it was only by God’s grace that the passenger did not die with him, adding that Lonnie spent the last minutes of his life attempting to protect that person.

An attorney for the state told Peterson that Lonnie’s father could not attend the sentencing because of the emotional toll that the trial took on them.

She told the court that his father wanted Davis to understand what he had taken from the city of Jackson and from the music industry and that Lonnie was on the verge of “becoming something shortly.”

Peterson said she wanted Davis to be an example for others thinking about picking up a gun.

“I hope any young person sees where you are standing at this moment and realizes that once you pick up a gun, you will use it, and not only will you use it, but when you use it, you change someone’s life,” she said.

“You didn’t even know who you shot at,” Peterson said, admonishing Davis. “That is the scariest portion of all that. It could have been anybody.”

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