On July 16, 2025, dispatchers in Brookhaven, Mississippi, were called to a residence at 989 Mallalieu Drive where officers found 45-year-old Victor Sanders unresponsive. The Lincoln County Coroner, Blake Wallace, determined Sanders died of gunshot wounds to the throat and chest and ruled the death a homicide.

Investigators from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the Coroner’s Office, and the District Attorney’s Office worked the case and identified a suspect. On July 22, 2025, 38-year-old Jerrell Andrew Thomas was located in Jackson and arrested; he was returned to Lincoln County and formally charged with first-degree murder and booked into the county jail.

Sheriff Steve Rushing has said the investigation into the circumstances and motive remains active and ongoing. If anyone has information about Victor Sanders, his movements on July 16, 2025, or about Jerrell Andrew Thomas around that time, please share what you know with authorities.