Van Leonard Luvene Jr., 41, was shot and killed in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on the evening of Wednesday, August 14, 2019. Officers found him inside a vehicle on North 23rd Avenue with a fatal gunshot wound; the case was investigated as a homicide.

Within a day, police identified and arrested a person of interest, 28-year-old Latina Funchess. She was charged with first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Bond was set at $500,000 on the murder charge and $10,000 on the weapons charge. A Forrest County grand jury returned an indictment for first-degree murder in February 2020.

Court records show the case later moved through hearings and continuances; in October 2021 Funchess pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced.