Greenwood, MS – District Attorney W. Dewayne Richardson announced today that James Cason was found guilty earlier this week by a jury to the charges of Capital Murder and Conspiracy in Leflore County Circuit Court.
After a two-and-a-half-day trial, the Leflore County jury found James Cason guilty of Conspiracy and Capital Murder for his role in the shooting that caused the death of 15-year-old Johnny Cage. Following the verdict, Leflore County Circuit Court Judge Carol White-Richard sentenced Cason to life in prison without the possibility of parole for Capital Murder and 5 years on the Conspiracy charge. The two sentences are to run concurrently.
The case against Cason was tried by Assistant District Attorneys Amanda Sturniolo Langford and Trish Hicks. Langford stated: “We are two steps closer to closure for the Cage family. I appreciate the family’s patience through all of the steps of the judicial process. The verdict and sentence come on the day before what would have been Johnny’s 19th birthday. I agree with Jasmine, his mother, I can’t think of a better present than that. We will continue to fight for Justice for Johnny. I also appreciate all of the citizens who showed up for jury duty. We cannot do our part to seek justice for the victims and victims’ families in Leflore County without community involvement.”
One of Cason’s co-defendants, Darius Sims, previously pled guilty in April 2025, and the third co-defendant, Terry Williams, is set to go to trial during the October 2025 term of court.
The District Attorney’s Office appreciates and recognizing the level of commitment to seeking justice shown by the Greenwood Police Department. The hard work of all law enforcement officers in Leflore County makes our community safer each day.