FROM: Jody Pickens, District Attorney General, 26th Judicial District
On January 15, 2023, Jackson Police Department officers responded to 800 Old Hickory Boulevard in Jackson, Tennessee, to a shots-fired call.
Upon arrival, officers found Sixto Maldanado-Perez, who had been shot twice. Officers spoke with witnesses and other victims and determined that three (3) suspects had knocked on the door of the apartment, rushed into the residence, and attempted to rob Mr. Maldanado-Perez as well as the other occupants.
Witnesses reported that a struggle ensued over a firearm that one of the suspects had brandished and that the suspect may have been shot during the struggle. Mr. Maldanado-Perez eventually succumbed to his injuries.
During the initial investigation, officers discovered that Justin Rivers had been transported to the hospital by personal vehicle due to a gunshot wound. Jackson Police Department investigators went to the hospital and found Mr. Rivers suffering from a gunshot wound through his leg.
Further investigation led the police to an address on Tracewood Cove, where one of the suspects resided. There, investigators found two of the three firearms used in the homicide. Witnesses identified the two additional suspects as Jordan Boykin and Devon Shepherd. During questioning, Mr. Rivers subsequently admitted his role in the homicide.
The suspects were, at the time of the offense, all juveniles. My office sought and received a transfer of the suspects to circuit court so that sixteen-year-old Boykin, fifteen-year-old Rivers, and thirteen-year-old Shepherd, would be tried as adults.
The Madison County Grand Jury subsequently returned an indictment against all three defendants for First-Degree Murder, three (3) counts of Aggravated Robbery, one (1) count of Aggravated Burglary, one (1) count of Aggravated Assault, and one (1) count of Employing a Firearm during the Commission of a Dangerous Felony.
The State of Tennessee, represented by Assistant District Attorney Justin Prescott, tried Defendants Shepherd and Boykin in two separate jury trials.
The juries convicted both defendants as indicted. Madison County Circuit Judge Don Allen sentenced defendants Boykin and Shepherd to life in prison for the First-Degree murder, and twelve (12) years for the remaining offenses. The release eligibility for these remaining offenses, by law, is set at 100% service.
Defendant Rivers entered a plea to Second Degree Murder, three (3) counts of Aggravated Robbery, one (1) count of Aggravated Burglary, one (1) count of Aggravated Assault, and one (1) count of Employing a Firearm with the Intent to go Armed during the Commission of a Dangerous Felony. Mr. Rivers received a sentence of twenty-seven (27) years with 100% service required before being eligible for release.
“This case stands as a sad example of what law enforcement encounters every day—younger, more violent juvenile offenders,” said District Attorney General Jody Pickens. “Regrettably, these young men made the choice to arm themselves, plan a home invasion, and carry out that plan, which resulted in an individual losing his life and the defendants being sent to prison for an extremely long length of time. I am very appreciative of the hard work put into this case by Assistant District Attorney General Justin Prescott and personnel at the Jackson Police Department who responded and investigated the matter. Working together they have made our community a safer place to live.”
(PHOTO: Jody Pickens)
