A Jackson, Mississippi man received two life sentences for the murders of a pregnant woman and her unborn child in a 2021 drive-by shooting, highlighting the recognition of the preborn baby as a separate victim under Mississippi law.
Kenya Webster, 26, was sentenced to two mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole for two counts of murder—one for the death of Kenyunta McWilliams and one for her unborn child—plus an additional 55 years for related charges, to be served in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
The killings occurred on Dec. 15, 2021, at the intersection of Beasley Road and Brownlee Drive in northwest Jackson. Prosecutors said Webster targeted McWilliams’ boyfriend, Knowledge Wigley, firing multiple rounds from an assault rifle into the occupied vehicle McWilliams was driving.
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McWilliams, who was eight months pregnant, was killed along with her unborn child. Wigley’s 2-year-old son, Ky’Waun Wigley, was also in the vehicle and fired upon.
Webster was one of five individuals initially charged in the case. Others included Joseph Brown, Marzavier Harrington, Taire Johnson and Tairon Kelly; Kelly’s charges were dismissed, and Brown is believed to be connected to multiple other killings in the capital city.
A Hinds County Circuit Court jury found Webster guilty of two counts of murder, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of drive-by shooting and one count of shooting into a vehicle. Webster was recorded confessing to the shooting during an interrogation by the Jackson Police Department, according to court testimony.
Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens announced the verdict and sentencing.
Prosecutors emphasized that Webster fired multiple rounds into the vehicle, killing McWilliams and her unborn child while also firing at others in the car.
The case underscores Mississippi’s fetal homicide laws, which allow for separate murder charges when an unborn child is killed, treating the loss of the unborn child as a distinct crime deserving full justice.
