Greenville, MS— Dewayne Hemphill of Greenville pled guilty to multiple Aggravated Assaults, in Washington County on Thursday, District Attorney Dewayne Richardson announced today.
Hemphill’s earliest charge stemmed from the Greenville Police Department’s response and investigation into what started as a domestic incident but turned violent for everyone involved. In March of 2023, multiple emergency calls were made to GPD in reference to a disturbance and shooting in the area of McAllister and Arnold. The investigation revealed that Hemphill had assaulted a woman before shooting at her and a friend who was with her that tried to stop the assault all while the friend’s child was in the vehicle. Hemphill was charged with three counts of Aggravated Assault as a result.
Later that year, following his arrest for an unrelated Murder, Hemphill was charged with two additional Aggravated Assaults while in custody when he and others beat and seriously injured two fellow inmates at the Washington County Regional Correctional Facility on two separate occasions.
Hemphill was subsequently indicted for the Aggravated Assaults and scheduled to proceed to trial on the first one this week, but he opted to plead guilty to all of them. He was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Margaret Carey-McCray to The District Attorney’s recommendation for the maximum of twenty (20) years on each charge to run concurrent, or at the same time.
These cases were prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Kaylon McCou and Laura K. Cooper. “When a person shows that they are unwilling to abide by the law, committing multiple violent crimes in such a short period, especially while in custody on pending charges, the consequences must reflect the behavior,” McCou added.
The Office of the District Attorney is thankful for the efforts of the Greenville Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the courage of those citizens, in the community and in custody, who stepped up to say something when they saw something.
Hemphill remains indicted for the unrelated murder. He is presumed not guilty until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.