Shelby Farms slaying under investigation, man pleads guilty to defrauding FedEx

Monday afternoon was full of public safety news. The afternoon began with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office providing updates to a bust of a drug ringthe status of two homicide investigations and the status of a deputy who was in an accident.

A man pleaded guilty Monday to defrauding FedEx of more than $750,000 in a three-year mail fraud scheme.

Here’s what was on the docket for the week of October 28.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is asking for additional witnesses to the Shelby Farms shooting

Anthony Buckner, chief deputy with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, said Monday that investigators need more witnesses to the fatal shooting of Ellie Young at Shelby Farms Park on Oct. 19 after a cancer walk.

Despite Jackson Hopper, Young’s ex-boyfriend, being arrested and charged with her murder, Buckner said investigators need more information.

“While we have a suspect in custody, we are still seeking the public’s assistance with witness information,” Buckner said during a news conference. “If anyone heard or saw anything at Shelby Farms that day, you are asked to contact our detectives at (901)379-7625. Our detectives really need eyewitness information so we can continue to add or include that information inside. of the case”.

Hopper, 26, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with Young’s murder. No bail has been set.

According to a police affidavit, Young was found with “multiple gunshot wounds” on the ground next to her Jeep Wrangler. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Witnesses stated that they observed the victim parked in a parking space in the lot,” the affidavit states. “A white Honda CRV with a Kentucky temp tag pulled up behind the victim’s Jeep. The white driver of the Honda CRV fired two shots into the back of the Jeep occupied by the victim. The victim exited the Jeep Wrangler and the male suspect. fired at least one more shot at the victim as she lay on the ground, then the suspect got back into the white Honda and left the scene.

The family told sheriff’s deputies, according to the affidavit, that Young and Hopper had recently broken up.

Hopper was arrested after a pursuit in Mason, Tennessee by the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office.

Florida man pleads guilty to three-year FedEx mail fraud scheme

Shaun Kavanaugh, 46, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of mail fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee said in a news release.

According to prosecutors, Kavanaugh “fraudulently obtained more than $750,000” by shipping packages containing “worthless merchandise” via FedEx. He would then claim that the packages had not been delivered and submit claims to FedEx for reimbursement of the contents of the packages, submitting false invoices with a higher valuation of what was inside the packages.

“Mr. Kavanaugh’s case serves as a reminder that fraud and the pursuit of quick wins can have serious consequences,” Inspector-in-Charge Tommy D. Coke of the Atlanta Division of the US Postal Inspection Service said in a news release. “I am proud of the men and women of the United States Postal Inspection Service for their continued commitment to protecting US Mail and our customers, and their determination to ensure that those who engage in fraudulent activity are held accountable for their crimes. activities.”

Kavanaugh faces up to 20 years in federal prison and could be ordered to pay up to $250,000 in fines, along with up to $764,250 in restitution. His sentencing is set for February 20.

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The last of Memphis’ biggest cases

Monday morning, in a quick development, a case that drew international attention to Shelby County came to an end. Cleotha Abston, more than two years after he was arrested and charged with the kidnapping and murder of Memphis teacher Eliza Fletcher, has pleaded guilty.

Abston pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated kidnapping and first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Memphis Grizzlies Star Ja Morant’s civil lawsuit remains in limbo as new attorneys for the teenager who was hit by Morant during a July 2022 pickup basketball game prepare for a second self-defense hearing.

New attorneys for Joshua Holloway, the teenager suing Morant, filed a motion to compel discovery on Oct. 24. According to emails attached to the motion, Holloway’s new attorneys have not received a full discovery file from his former attorneys and Morant’s attorneys. declined to provide discovery because “the source of each item requested in your letter is either Mr. Holloway or a third party to which Mr. Holloway has the same or better access than our clients.”

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