Dustin Michael Gray, a 27-year-old resident of Picayune, has been convicted of capital murder in the robbery and killing of Pearl River County resident Willie “Chill” Jones. Gray has been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, announced by Pearl River County District Attorney Hall Kitrell.

The jury’s conviction came after a trial held in August. The sentencing was deferred until Judge Prentiss Howell imposed the life imprisonment sentence in October. This verdict places Gray alongside his half-brother, Austin Brookshire, serving life sentences without parole for their involvement in Jones’s robbery and killing on July 6, 2020.

Jones’ body was discovered, leading to the extradition of Dustin Gray and his wife, Erica Gray, from Colorado to Pearl River County to face charges related to the killing.

Kitrell thanked the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department and the Picayune Police Department for their diligent efforts in bringing Gray to justice.

Court records and interviews revealed that Jones was considered a friend by the Gray brothers and met with them the day he disappeared. The motive behind the crime was to steal $40,000 in cash that Jones had stored in a metal box.

Pearl River County investigators determined that Brookshire shot and killed Jones in the backseat of Gray’s car. The brothers buried his body in a shallow grave near Texas Flat Road in Hancock County.

Following the killing, the family of Jones held vigils, and the community united to search for his body. Gray’s father eventually provided information about his son’s involvement in the crime.