Background: News coverage showing Ezekiel Kelly during his sentencing on August 13 (WREG). Inset: Ezekiel Kelly’s mug shot from 2022 (Shelby County Sheriff’s Office).
A man from Tennessee who went on a lethal rampage through Memphis, resulting in the deaths of three people, and broadcasted the events live, tearfully sought forgiveness in court.
Ezekiel Kelly, 22, confessed to 28 criminal charges on Wednesday and received a sentence of three consecutive life terms without parole, along with an additional 221 years in prison. He faced numerous charges including multiple counts of first-degree murder, for the violent acts he committed starting just after midnight on September 7, 2022. His spree began with the murder of Dewayne Tunstall at a friend’s house, followed by two other murders and car thefts, all of which were witnessed by an online audience.
During his sentencing, Kelly, who was 19 at the time of the incident, showed visible emotion and made a statement in court. As reported by local CBS station WREG, Kelly expressed to the court, “There’s nothing I can say to bring anyone’s family member back, but we all have to live with this.” He continued, saying, “I was in the darkest period of my life when this happened,” and “I do apologize to the victims’ families. I hope you can one day find it in your heart to forgive me.”
Aubrey Miller, a family member of one of Kelly’s victims, spoke to him directly, remarking, “You have lost yourself. The only path to finding yourself is through God.”
Kelly, who smiled widely for his 2022 mug shot, wept openly in court during Miller’s statement.
Besides Tunstall, Kelly also killed Allison Parker, a medical assistant and mother of three, and Richard Clark, a retired corrections officer and campus security guard. The survivors from Kelly’s violent actions include LaKesha McGlathen, Rodolfo Zepeda, and Randall Graham.
The plea deal, which took the death penalty off the table, was approved by Kelly’s victims and their families.
The events of that fateful evening took place in the early morning hours and led police to issue a “stay-in-place” warning for Memphis residents as they searched for Kelly. As Law&Crime previously reported, Kelly partially livestreamed some of the events on Facebook Live. Meta told Law&Crime at the time that they were “working closely with law enforcement” and “identified and removed the Live content prior to the Memphis Police Department’s initial public alert.”
Kelly was apprehended at 9:20 p.m. on Sept. 7, hours after committing the mass shooting, two carjackings, and the high-speed police chase that ended his day-long crime spree. He initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea on Wednesday.
District Attorney Steve Mulroy said in a statement after the sentencing, “This plea brings justice by making sure he’ll never be free, while also respecting what many victims have said—they’re ready to move forward. This plea brings certainty and finality to the families, who approve of this settlement and are ready to be done with litigation and move on. It avoids years if not decades of appeals. Most important, it makes certain that this defendant, who terrorized our entire city, will never see the light of day.”
