Indianola, MS—After approximately four hours of deliberations a Sunflower County jury found Damian Buck guilty for killing De’Aubrey Roscoe following a four-day trial last week, District Attorney Dewayne Richardson announced today.
In April of 2019, officers of the Indianola Police Department were called to respond to a shot victim on Oak Street at approximately eight at night. Upon their arrival, the body of De’Aubrey Roscoe was found in his front yard, lying in a pool of blood, where he was suffering from two gunshot wounds. Roscoe later succumbed to his injuries.
After a thorough investigation by officers and investigators with the Indianola Police Department, it was determined that Roscoe was shot following a physical altercation that he had with Buck’s brother, Samuel Barnes. The autopsy revealed that De’Aubrey Roscoe was shot once in the right upper arm and he was shot a second time in the right upper back.
Damian Buck and Samuel Barnes were soon arrested for their roles in Roscoes’ death. Damian Buck was charged with First Degree Murder by the Indianola Police Department. However, at trial the Sunflower County jury found Buck guilty of the lesser included offense of Manslaughter. The jury also found Damian Buck guilty of possessing a firearm during the commission of the felony crime of killing Roscoe. Barnes’ case was severed from his brothers and Samuel Barnes is scheduled for trial at a later date.
Assistant District Attorneys Takiyah Perkins and Stanley Alexander prosecuted the case and presented the evidence before the jury. During closing arguments, they explained that although Roscoe had been in a physical fight with Buck’s brother earlier that evening that he was never a threat to anyone at the time of his death. They argued that Roscoe was in a place where he had a right to be and upon being lured out of his house he was eventually shot in the back and killed.
“Justice for De’Aubrey would not have been possible without witnesses being willing to come forward and tell exactly what transpired on that late April evening. Without their willingness to come forward, we would have never gotten to the truth of how De’Aubrey was killed,” Perkins added.
For the crime of Manslaughter, Damian Buck faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Under Mississippi law, Buck faces an additional 5 years in prison for the Firearm Enhancement. Fourth Circuit Judge Margaret Carey McCray presided over this case and she will impose sentencing at a later date.
The Office of the District Attorney acknowledges that justice for De’Aubrey Roscoe would not have been possible without witnesses in our community being strong enough to come forward and tell what they saw and heard. “We appreciate the diligence of our officers and investigators as they worked tirelessly to bring justice for De’Aubrey and his family,” said Richardson.