Jury finds three guilty in 2022 Donaldsonville murder case

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A jury has found three men guilty in connection with a deadly 2022 shooting in Donaldsonville, according to the 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

Donovan Starks, 24, of Gonzales, along with Jatyrin Powe, 20, and Johntez Ezeff, 24, both of Donaldsonville, were convicted of second-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm, and aggravated criminal damage to property.

On May 30, 2022, deputies with the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office found Cedric Mumphrey, 37, shot in the driveway of his home on W. 2nd Street. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.

Detectives recovered 45 shell casings at the scene. The DA’s office said an adult woman and three children were inside the home during the gunfire. Surveillance video showed Mumphrey talking to another man outside. Then, three masked suspects came up, pulled out guns, and began shooting.

Community members later identified the shooters as Starks, Powe, and Ezeff.

District Attorney Ricky Babin said the men were each sentenced to life in prison for second-degree murder, plus five years each for the remaining charges. All sentences will run concurrently.

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