5 of 6 suspects in 2023 Dadeville mass shooting plead guilty

TALLAPOOSA COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA) - Five of the six suspects in the 2023 Dadeville mass shooting pled guilty in a Tallapoosa County courtroom on Friday morning.

Willie Brown Jr., 22, Wilson Hill Jr., 23, Travis McCullough, 19, Tyreese McCullough, 20, and Sherman Peters, 18, appeared in court for a scheduled plea hearing.

At the hearing, the five each pled guilty to three counts of reckless murder. They were each sentenced to five years in state prison, followed by 15 years of supervised probation. They will each get credit for time served.

They were also sentenced for first-degree assault and third-degree assault. All of the sentences will run concurrently.

The April 2023 shooting during a Sweet 16 birthday party at then-Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio in Dadeville left four people dead and 32 others injured.

The shooting claimed the lives of Philstavious Dowdell, 18, Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23, Shaunkivia Nicole Smith, 17, and Marsiah Emmanuel Collins, 19.

Five of the suspects were indicted in May 2023 on four counts of reckless murder, 24 counts of first-degree assault and one count of third-degree assault. In Friday’s hearing, one of the reckless murder charges was dropped.

The sixth unnamed suspect was granted youthful offender status.

Families of the victims had previously spoke out against potential plea agreements and the possibility of lesser sentences for those charged in the shooting.

Victim impact statements lasted over an hour in court on Friday, with many fighting through tears and pleading for either a trial or a harsher plea deal. WSFA 12 News reporter Simon Schuessler was inside the courtroom and observed each defendant sitting emotionless throughout.

The only defendant who spoke was Tyreese McCullough, saying “I am very sorry for what happened.”

Relatives and advocates of victims vocally disapproved of how District Attorney Mike Segrest handled the case following the sentencing.

“I unequivocally and absolutely oppose the plea,” said Martin Collins Jr., the father of Marsiah Collins, who was killed in the shooting. “It’s time to get a new district attorney. Mike Segrest is not sufficient in prosecuting crime.”

“To me, and I’ve talked to a lot of parents, what justice would look like would be at least 30 years,” said Amy Jackson, the cousin of Shaunkivia “Keke” Smith, a fatal victim. “Mike Segrest does not like to be a loser, he likes stats. A plea is not a loss for him. It was more important that he get a plea than a trial and he loses which would make him as a first-term DA, you lost the biggest case of your life.”

While Segrest did not speak to the media or respond immediately to a request for comment, he did give a summary of the facts in the case in court.

Segrest believes the defendants and Corbin Holston, who was among the deceased, were shooting at each other in the crowd, and it’s still unclear who fired first.

He said that the evidence would show a guest left the party after seeing someone had a gun and called Holston to confront them before the shooting happened.

The DA added that there was possibly enough evidence — depending on the jury — for self-defense during a trial, and that this plea deal was the best possible outcome for all parties involved.

By taking a plea deal, the defendants will not have to go to trial.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been updated to clarify that each suspect was sentenced to five years in prison and 15 years on probation, not 20 years in prison.

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