Greenville, MS- Judge Carol White-Richard sentenced Merrick Cleveland to twenty-five years in prison on the charges of second degree murder and trafficking marijuana on January 14, 2019 in the Circuit Court of Washington County. Cleveland entered a guilty plea to these two offenses which occurred in September of 2015 in Greenville.
On September 10, 2015 officers with the Greenville Police Department responded to the Exxon at the intersection of Highway 82 and Colorado Street to a call for help. Upon arriving at that location they learned that the victim in this matter, Jonathan Daniels was dying in the adjacent Captain D’s restaurant. Officers learned through the course of their investigation that Daniels had been shot at the Exxon and ran to the Captain D’s seeking assistance. After gathering evidence at the location, examining cell phones of codefendants in this matter, and getting statements from other defendants and witnesses, officers learned that Cleveland had agreed to purchase a large quantity of marijuana from Daniels, luring him from Jackson to make the transaction, and that upon arriving at the Exxon to complete the sale, Cleveland instead shot Daniels before fleeing in his vehicle and taking the marijuana that was to be sold.
Other defendants with Cleveland on that night have been previously sentenced for their involvement with this crime. Under the laws of the State, Cleveland must serve his sentence day-for-day without the possibility of parole. This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Takiyah Perkins, John Herzog Jr., Kaylon McCou and M. Austin Frye. Perkins said that “Without the efforts of the Greenville Police Department and Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, and their hard work to hold Cleveland to account for his crimes, the victim in this matter would have been denied the justice that he deserved.”
Contact: W. Dewayne Richardson District Attorney, Fourth Circuit Court District | 662-378-2105