Detectives say it appears an East McComb man was the primary target of a gunman who killed him and his mother in a Jan. 15 double homicide, and his mother may have been killed simply for being at home.
Detective Sid Boyte said investigators believe Shawn Butler, 33, was the intended victim in the killings, and it’s possible that Butler’s mother, Barbara Conerly, 64, was killed when the gunman found her at home.
Investigators have developed a timeline and secured evidence in the killings, although police say the case is experiencing some setbacks due to delays in receiving evidence from the Mississippi Crime Lab.
Butler was found shot dead at close range in the kitchen. Police Chief Scott McKenzie said it looked as if he was attempting to stand up from the kitchen table when he was shot.
Conerly’s body was found in a bedroom. She was wearing a night gown, and she, too, was shot at close range, investigators said.
Both died from single gunshot wounds.
Investigators say Butler was hanging out at a house just down the street on Avenue L in the late afternoon of Jan. 14.
“They were playing cards. It was raining, so they were inside a residence just down the street,” McKenzie said. “Word is Shawn had a little too much to drink and he was asked to leave. And from we understand that’s what happened. He left by himself. Whether or not he went straight home, we can’t say for sure. We just know Shawn was there with them about 5 p.m.”
Investigators have questioned those who were with Butler, Boyte said.
That included Butler’s cousin Quardarius Tate, who reported finding Butler and Conerly’s bodies the next morning.
Police gave Tate a polygraph Saturday, but Boyte did not want to go into detail of test results. McKenzie said the polygraph was more a matter of procedure than an indication that Tate is a person of interest.
He said all indications suggest Tate was being straightforward with investigators.
“Based on my years of experience, listening to the phone call and the interview they had back at the office, we were under the agreement that this guy probably didn’t have anything to do with it,” he said. “He was pretty distraught. He would have been a pretty good actor if he wasn’t.”
Boyte said autopsy results did not give an estimated time of death, which would establish whether the killings occurred on the night of Jan. 14 or the next morning.
Meanwhile, Crimestopper’s tips have led police in several directions. McKenzie said investigators have looked into those tips and have discarded some theories.
McKenzie said police are questioning suspects in other crimes in the attempt to make a connection with the killings.
“We’ve been trying to tie it into other things, like the recent armed robberies and those suspects. We’re questioning them. They’re all from the same area,” he said.
Boyte said he hopes the public continues to pay attention to the case, and any information the public has — particularly of the activities of Butler and Conerly on Jan. 14 — is valuable.
“I’m asking anyone with contact with either victim the day prior to talk to authorities, even if you don’t think it’s important. If you saw them at the store, and thought it was just routine, let us know,” he said.
