A Mississippi man has been convicted of capital murder in a 2022 botched robbery. Emmerson Houston, who was 19 at the time of the incident, received a sentence of life in prison without parole after a Clay County jury found him guilty of capital murder in connection with the March 2022 shooting death of Mikel Craven, 41.

Houston was one of four individuals arrested following the incident on Blake Road, which prosecutors stated was a botched robbery. During the trial, the jury heard testimony from both the state medical examiner and Houston himself. Houston admitted to firing a gun but claimed uncertainty about whether he struck Craven.

District Attorney Scott Colom highlighted the crucial role of social media messages in securing the conviction. “The Instagram messages were key to proving that Emmerson Houston was in on the plan to rob Mikel Craven, and that he had the intent to bring guns to possibly kill him,” Colom stated.

Another co-defendant, William Austin Hill, previously pleaded guilty in the case and was sentenced to 41 years in prison. The two remaining defendants, Jeremy and Greyson Klutts, have yet to go to trial.