Bryan Nelson, 28, pled guilty Monday in Sunflower County Circuit Court to the November 21, 2015 shooting death of 25 year-old Demarcus Tyler, District Attorney W. Dewayne Richardson announced today. With the case set for trial before Judge Richard Smith this week, Nelson chose to plead guilty for killing Demarcus Tyler in Drew, MS.
Demarcus Tyler was shot and killed while he was at the Unique Social Club with a brother and other friends on November 21, 2015. Witnesses identified Nelson as the shooter who came into the establishment and shot Tyler with a .380 caliber handgun. Because the victim, Demarcus Tyler was the brother of the Chief of Police for the Drew Police Department, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations was called in to investigate the shooting death.
Bryan Nelson turned himself in to the local authorities about an hour after the shooting and he was charged with Tyler’s Murder. On Monday afternoon, Nelson entered a plea of guilty to the charge of Second Degree Murder and Judge Richard Smith sentenced Nelson to the State’s recommendation of 25 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Nelson must serve the first 20 years of his sentence in prison without any opportunity for early release or parole. Nelson will then be on probation for the remaining five years.
Nelson’s case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Takiyah Perkins and she expressed her appreciation for local law enforcement by stating that “it’s sad when anyone loses their life to a violent act of another, but we at the DA’s Office thank our law enforcement officers for their diligent efforts in keeping our communities as safe as possible. Our hearts go out to the family of Demarcus Tyler and we hope that Nelson’s conviction brings them some sense of justice and closure to this horrific ordeal.”
Contact: W. Dewayne Richardson District Attorney, Fourth Circuit Court District | 662-378-2105