Mississippi Defendant Pleads Guilty Following Deadly Shooting at Casino

On Wednesday, the 19-year-old man entered a guilty plea to a single charge connected to a fatal shooting that occurred at the Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort in D'Iberville, Mississippi.

According to Alabama TV station WALA, Karmelo Cortez Morris Derks of Mobile, Alabama, entered a guilty plea in federal court for driving a stolen car across state lines.

According to the article, Derks' carjacking charge is probably going to be dropped as part of a plea agreement with the prosecution.

Derks was taken into custody after the fatal shooting in the Scarlet Pearl parking lot in September 2022.

Derks and a second man, Darrius Dewayne Rowser, 20, also of Mobile, were charged with murder after the death of Nicholaus Craig, 36, who had been living in California.

Derks informed officials that he and Rowser had driven a stolen Nissan Altima from Mobile to Mississippi after his detention.

Derks pulled up to a Dodge Charger as they entered the gaming property's parking lot.

"I’ll do the rest,” Rowser told Derks, according to court documents.

Rowser exited the Nissan, approached the Dodge, and fired one shot through the glass, according to reports. Then Rowser bolted back towards the Altima. They left the scene of the crime.

As per the court documents, Rowser later admitted to Derks that he "may have got the wrong person."

The Altima was discovered in flames in a Prichard, Alabama, apartment building the next day.

Was the birthday of the victim

Craig and his girlfriend had made a stop at the hotel attached to the casino. He was on his way to Mobile to spend his birthday with family. After dining at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for dinner, the couple returned to the Scarlet Pearl.

Craig got to his car and decided to take a drive when his back started to hurt. After that, he remained in the car and was shot.

A different case is pending in Mississippi state court on the murder charge.

"Our thoughts are with the families impacted by this incident," a Scarlet Pearl spokesman said to Mississippi TV station WLOX at the time of the murder.

Additional Shootings

The fatal shot came after other recent events in which John Fitzgerald McCarroll Jr., a different guy, was purportedly responsible for two shootings. One was at Paparazzi Lounge, the other at Bank Nightlife.

Derek Shavers lost his life in the September 18, 2022, shooting at Bank Nightclub. It is said that Reginald Dennis Alan Fluker fired a shot at him. 

According to WALA, the indicted suspects included Derks, McCarroll, Fluker, Rowser, Jimaurice Pierce, and Lyteria Hollis.

According to investigators, Derks and Rowser were also charged with attempted murder in relation to an additional incident that occurred at a Walmart in Alabama. Tomorion Williams sustained injuries in that heinous crime.

There are outstanding charges.