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NATCHEZ — It took an Adams County jury of nine women and three men only 39 minutes to find Jordan Caston guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Marquez Brown.

Brown was 16 on Feb. 17, 2022, when he was gunned down in a seemingly unprovoked shooting while visiting with friends at 103 Jackson St.

Kwasba Nichols, who was a passenger in a vehicle at that address and was talking with Brown when he was gunned down, testified on Wednesday morning that Caston was the shooter.

That eyewitness testimony, coupled with testimony from two crime forensics experts that Caston had gunshot residue on his dominant hand combined with video evidence from the scene showing Caston running from the scene to 834 Martin Luther King St., where police found him. The evidence made quick work for the jury.

Natchez Attorney Kevin Colbert, who represented Caston, rested the defense case without putting a single witness on the stand. After the prosecution rested, Colbert sought a directed verdict, arguing that the prosecution had failed to produce sufficient evidence in the case.  Sixth District Circuit Court Judge Blackwell denied that motion.

Blackwell warned those in the courtroom against any outbursts when the verdict was read.

“This has been a long, emotional two days of trial,” she said.

After the verdict was read, Brown’s mother, Cynthia Jones, described learning her son had been killed.

“My life stopped right there,” she said. Jones said her son was in good health and always maintained a good spirit.

“I have three grown kids and it was just me and him,” she said. “He had goals. He played football. He got baptized. Next, he was going to get his driver’s license and graduate. He was going to graduate with honors. He wanted to go to Ole Miss and become an engineer and move to Atlanta … I have cried every day and night for three years. It has ruined my life. My child didn’t deserve this. No one’s child deserves this. It’s been a long, hard three years.”

Blackwell sentenced Caston to life in prison. Caston already was serving a 10-year sentence for arson for setting the Adams County Jail on fire in April 2022.

Assistant District Attorney Dre Wallace tried the case for Sixth Circuit District Attorney Tim Cotton’s office.

Caston’s retrial was initially scheduled for February, but was delayed. Wallace, who has resigned his job to move out of state and closer to his family, delayed his departure to see the Caston case through to closure.

“This was a senseless act,” Cotton said. “In a case like this, you lose two lives — the life of the person killed and the life of the person who committed the crime. To me, I feel like the family has a sense of peace now, knowing we can never bring closure.”

Cotton commended Wallace’s work on the case.

“I am very proud of Dre Wallace and how he was committed to seeing this case to fruition and justice being served,” he said.