Carlos McGruder

Carlos Latrell McGruder, known to friends and family as “Buck” or “Wild Bill,” was a hard-working and loving man from Laurel, Mississippi, who was devoted to his family and community. The 37-year-old Black / African American male graduated from Northeast Jones High School in 2004 and built a career in the oilfield, working for Evans Energy II as a tool pusher. Remembered for his fun-loving personality and a heart of gold, he was the life of the party. He left behind a wife, a daughter, and a son, along with his parents and a large family of siblings, nieces, nephews, and friends who cherished him.

Tragically, Carlos’s life was cut short in a senseless act of mistaken identity on November 8, 2021. Around 10 a.m. that Monday, he was in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn in the 6500 block of U.S. Highway 49 in Hattiesburg, backing his vehicle out of a parking spot. At the same time, three people who had traveled from Texas—Juan Ra'Shawn Cole, Trenderrious Brock, and Keeairah Lewis—were in a frantic search for a man who had just allegedly robbed and assaulted Lewis inside the hotel room, which was reportedly being used for prostitution.

According to the investigation by the Hattiesburg Police Department, Lewis called Cole after the alleged assault. Cole, armed with a pistol, and an unarmed Brock began searching the hotel property for the man responsible. In the parking lot, Brock spotted Carlos's vehicle and called over to Cole. Believing Carlos was the man they were looking for, Cole ran toward the car and fired multiple shots into the vehicle as Carlos was driving away. The gunfire struck Carlos several times. His car then crashed into an adjacent building. Investigators later determined Carlos had no connection to the incident inside the hotel. He was rushed to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries two days later, on November 10, 2021.

The Hattiesburg Police Department immediately launched a homicide investigation. Surveillance footage helped them identify the three suspects, who had fled the scene after the shooting. An arrest warrant for first-degree murder was issued for Trenderrious Brock, then 21, who turned himself in to authorities in Dallas, Texas, on November 15, 2021. He was extradited back to Mississippi and booked into the Forrest County Jail. Police also issued a first-degree murder warrant for Juan Ra'Shawn Cole, then 20, and sought Keeairah Lewis.

In March 2023, Trenderrious Brock pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter. He was sentenced by Judge Robert Helfrich in Forrest County Circuit Court to 20 years in prison. At the time, District Attorney Lin Carter stated, “This was a senseless and horrific crime. Mr. McGruder did nothing wrong, and this case of mistaken identity led to him being brutally murdered.”

After remaining a fugitive for several years, Juan Ra'Shawn Cole was located and arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Oklahoma in August 2025. His trial took place in Forrest County Circuit Court in May 2026. After a two-day trial where jurors reviewed surveillance footage and heard testimony, it took them about an hour and a half to find Cole guilty of first-degree murder. During victim impact statements, Carlos's family expressed their profound loss and years of waiting for justice. Judge T. Michael Reed handed down the state-mandated sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Keeairah Lewis, the third co-defendant, also pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to murder. As of May 2026, she was awaiting sentencing and could face up to 20 years in prison. The convictions brought a measure of closure to Carlos McGruder's family, who had waited over four years for the legal process to conclude. "We're blessed as a whole because a lot of families don't get this opportunity to get the verdict," a family member said after the final conviction.