Mikel Craven, 41, of Cedarbluff, Mississippi, was found lying in a ditch off Blake Road in Clay County on a cold March evening and was taken to a hospital where he died on March 11, 2022. Initial responders thought he might have been struck by a vehicle because of heavy clothing and a large amount of blood; an autopsy later confirmed he died from four gunshot wounds to the chest.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office opened a homicide investigation that determined robbery was the motive. Within two months authorities arrested four local teenagers from West Point: 19-year-old Emerson Houston, 17-year-old William Austin Hill, 17-year-old Greyson Klutts, and 15-year-old Jeremy Klutts Jr.

Legal filings state Hill pleaded guilty to capital murder, admitting he entered Craven’s residence armed and shot him, and received 41 years with no parole. Emerson Houston was convicted at trial of capital murder and sentenced to life. The Klutts brothers cooperated and received lesser penalties: Greyson Klutts pleaded guilty to manslaughter and drew a 20-year sentence with 10 years to serve; Jeremy Klutts pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and received a 10-year suspended sentence with five years probation and one year in county jail. Did anyone who knew Mikel or was in that area in March 2022 see or hear anything that could help clarify what happened?