MS Court of Appeals upholds Hattiesburg man’s murder conviction

PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) – The Mississippi Court of Appeals has upheld a Hattiesburg man’s second-degree murder conviction.

Noah Booth, of Hattiesburg, was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to forty years in the Department of Corrections.

Booth appealed the conviction and sentence.

Appellate counsel appointed by Booth filed a brief pursuant to Lindsey vs. Statewhich establishes the procedure to be followed when the appellate attorney representing an impoverished defendant does not identify issues in dispute on appeal.

Booth’s appellate counsel was found to have complied with this requirement Lindsey’s Requirements met and no defects detrimental to Booth were found.

The appeals court gave Booth forty days to file a supplemental statement of claim, but he failed to do so.

The appeals court conducted its own review of the record and found no issues on appeal, therefore upholding Booth’s conviction and sentence.

On February 6, 2019, William Myers was fatally shot during a small outdoor gathering at a home in Hattiesburg. Witnesses told police the shots came from a wooded area adjacent to the property, but no one saw the shooter.

It turned out that Myers was a gang member and had made several enemies, leading investigators to conclude that the shooting was gang-related.

During a traffic stop, officers stopped Alfred McCaskill, who was found with a .357 revolver believed to have been used in the shooting.

McCaskill told investigators that he purchased the gun from Booth and did not know it had been used in the shooting.

Booth was brought in for questioning and said he was in Brookhaven with his girlfriend at the time of the shooting.

Several people informed investigators and testified that Booth admitted to shooting Myers.

Booth was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to forty years in prison.

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