PIKE COUNTY — A Pike County jury on Thursday found Christopher Darnell Wilkinson guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in a 2022 double shooting in McComb.
Wilkinson was sentenced by Circuit Judge David Strong to life in prison for each murder conviction, to be served in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, plus 20 years to run consecutive to the life sentences for the firearm convictions.
The verdict stems from a Nov. 10, 2022, shooting that left two men dead. McComb police responding to the scene found Quinton Gayden with a single gunshot wound. Investigators later located Cedric O’Neil Carter Jr., who also had suffered a single gunshot wound. Both men died from their injuries.
Eyewitnesses testified during the trial that Wilkinson was the primary suspect in the shootings, prosecutors said.
District Attorney Brendon Adams thanked jurors for their service and emphasized the broader impact of the case.
“Our jury system is such an important function in our justice system,” Adams said. “This was an example of a person taking another person’s life in cold blood. Senseless gun violence continues to plague our community, and we will continue to prosecute these cases one by one.”
Adams said the sentence should serve as a deterrent.
“Those that use violence to commit murders in our communities will be dealt with as harshly as possible,” he said.
He also expressed sympathy for the victims’ families and praised law enforcement and prosecutors for their work. Adams thanked the McComb Police Department and other investigators for “countless hours” spent preparing the case.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Sebastian Harrell and Timothy Jones.
