Sentencing in St. Patrick’s Day Parade Murder CaseSentencing in St. Patrick’s Day Parade Murder Case Jordan Cummins was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for the first-degree murder of Joshua Spann and Auden Jubilee Simpkins during the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Jackson in 2023. Cummins was convicted last week of killing Spann and Simpkins when a group of friends intervened in a dispute between Cummins and his girlfriend. The victims were attempting to de-escalate a physical altercation when they were shot. Hinds County Circuit Judge Faye Peterson sentenced Cummins to two life sentences to run concurrently. During the hearing, Cummins’ mother spoke on his behalf, asking for leniency. However, Simpkins’ father expressed his pain and anguish over his daughter’s loss. Cummins also addressed the court, expressing regret for the deaths but claiming he did not intend to kill the victims. His attorney argued for concurrent life sentences, citing his lack of prior criminal history. Judge Peterson emphasized that there were no winners in the case and stated that Cummins’ decision to exercise his right to trial was not a factor in his sentencing. Although first-degree murder does not carry the possibility of parole in Mississippi, Cummins may petition the judge for parole review once he reaches the age of 65 and has served at least 15 years in prison.
Jordan Cummins was sentenced to life in prison on Monday, following his conviction last week on two counts of first-degree murder for the shooting deaths of Joshua Spann, 27, and Auden Jubilee Simpkins, 23. The incident took place during the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Jackson on March 25, 2023, when a group of friends intervened in a dispute between Cummins and his girlfriend, Jenny Lukens.
Hinds County Circuit Judge Faye Peterson sentenced Cummins to two life sentences to run concurrently instead of consecutively.
Kelly Simpkins, Jubilee Simpkins’ father, was allowed to address the court and the defendant during the hearing. Simpkins, who initially struggled to speak, looked at Cummins and said, “Jubilee was my little girl. She spent most of her childhood on my shoulders. You cannot imagine the pain and anguish you have caused us with her loss.
Simpkins went on to say, “We will always wonder what she was thinking in her final moments. Did she know how much we loved her? Simpkins shared how the Bible taught him that “we can have justice without hatred and we can have punishment without vengeance.” Simpkins further said that there can only be justice when there is forgiveness. He left it to Judge Peterson, in her wisdom and experience, to determine the appropriate sentence for Cummins.
Cummins’ mother, Angie Kellum, then spoke on behalf of her son. She began by saying that “several other people should have been charged in this case, but they were not” and that “this generation feels they must resort to violence to resolve their dispute. Guns and alcohol don’t mix.” She asked the court for leniency towards her son.
Cummins had the opportunity to address the Court and the families of the victims. He said he “deeply regretted the deaths of Josh and Jubilee.” He claimed he didn’t mean to kill them. Cummins’ attorney, Bill Kellum, asked the court to run the life sentences concurrently, arguing that Cummins did not plan the attack and had no prior criminal record.
Judge Peterson provided final comments during the hearing, saying that “this Court does not fault a defendant for exercising his right to trial” in determining sentencing. The judge went on to say that “there are no winners here.” Judge Peterson subsequently sentenced Cummins to two life sentences, to run concurrently.
Although a defendant convicted of first-degree murder cannot be granted parole in Mississippi, they may petition the sitting judge in the sentencing county to review their sentence for parole once they reach the age of sixty-five (65) . ) and have served at least fifteen (15) years of their sentence.
— Article courtesy of Shaun Yurtkuran, for the Magnolia Tribune —
