Willie Douglas, 24, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder in the August 2024 drive-by shooting that killed 29-year-old Jasmine Hawkins in Memphis' Frayser neighborhood, and a Shelby County judge sentenced him to 20 years to be served in full. Two children who were inside the home when the shots were fired were not hurt.
According to the Shelby County District Attorney's Office, prosecutors proved Douglas fired multiple shots into the occupied home before fleeing the scene. Assistant District Attorney Haden Lawyer handled the case, and the office said Hawkins' family was present for the resolution and expressed satisfaction with the outcome.
How Investigators Tracked Down the Shooter
The shooting happened around 7 p.m. on August 6, 2024, in the 1600 block of Alta Vista Drive, according to LocalMemphis. Hawkins was rushed to Regional One Health in critical condition, where she was pronounced dead, per the National Gun Violence Memorial.
Homicide investigators recovered surveillance video that captured a white vehicle with a black front bumper pulling away from the scene as 11 gunshots rang out, the outlet reported. That footage helped detectives connect Douglas to the shooting.
A Dispute Between Two Men Preceded the Gunfire
Police affidavits described the shooting as the result of a verbal dispute between two men. After the argument, Douglas allegedly drove past the home and fired multiple rounds into the house while Hawkins and the two children were inside, according to the same report.
Douglas was arrested and held on a $500,000 bond, facing charges of second-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, and being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun. Court records showed Douglas was already a felon at the time of the shooting, having pleaded guilty in 2023 to reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon and receiving a one-year sentence.
Court dockets had set Douglas' trial to begin this past Monday, but he entered his guilty plea just days before jury selection was set to start, resolving the case without a trial.
Why Douglas Will Serve Every Year of His Sentence
Douglas' 20-year term falls under Tennessee's Truth in Sentencing Act, known as Public Chapter 988, which took effect July 1, 2022. Under that law, explained by Lannom and Williams, second-degree murder is designated a 100% offense, meaning Douglas must serve his full court-imposed sentence with no eligibility for sentence reduction credits or early parole.
Second-degree murder is a Class A felony in Tennessee, carrying a statutory range of 15 to 60 years, according to FindLaw. Douglas' negotiated 20-year sentence sits near the lower end of that range, reflecting a plea deal that avoided a lengthy jury trial.
A Case Tied to Shelby County's Gun Violence Numbers
Violent crime rates in Shelby County spiked after 2020 and remained elevated through 2024, according to data from policy research organization ThinkTennessee. That trend has driven state legislators to push for mandatory minimum sentencing laws targeting firearm violence.
