A Dyer County grand jury has indicted two Dyersburg men on first-degree murder charges in the October 2021 shooting death of Keaston Akins, police said. The suspects, identified as Jabrell Gauldin and Josh Livingston, were taken into custody this week with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, according to authorities. Investigators say the case remains active, and no motive has been released.
According to WREG, the Dyer County grand jury returned the indictments this week, charging both men with first-degree murder. The Dyersburg Police Department has released their mugshots and reiterated that the investigation is ongoing. Prosecutors and police have not made any additional court dates or detailed charging documents available to the public, keeping most of the paper trail out of public view for now.
Victim of the 2021 shooting
Keaston Akins was shot and later died on Oct. 2, 2021, after officers found him in a ditch in Dyersburg, according to contemporaneous local coverage. Early reports described multiple shell casings scattered at the scene and noted that detectives were urgently seeking witnesses to that weekend’s violence. KBSI outlined the timeline and highlighted the department’s initial public plea for information.
How arrests were made
Dyersburg police said Gauldin and Livingston were both arrested this week with help from the U.S. Marshals Service. WREG reports that investigative work by detectives led to evidence being presented to a Dyer County grand jury, which in turn produced the murder indictments. Authorities have not said where the two men were located or the specific places where they were taken into custody, keeping those details under wraps.
Legal stakes and what’s next
The indictments put both defendants at risk of Tennessee’s most severe criminal penalties if they are convicted. Under state law, first-degree murder can be punished by death, life without the possibility of parole, or life imprisonment, with the exact sentence decided in a separate proceeding after any guilty verdict. FindLaw details the statute and its sentencing structure.
Police appeal for witnesses
Dyersburg police are again urging anyone with information about the 2021 shooting to contact investigators, stressing that tips can be crucial in cold-case work. Detectives are asking residents to share anything they recall from that weekend, no matter how minor it may seem. Officials said additional details will be released as formal charges move forward and court dates are set.
