NATCHEZ — A Natchez woman who shot and killed her mother in 2022 has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

On June 10, Sixth District Circuit Judge Debra Blackwell sentenced Shalece Thomas, 37, to serve 20 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Correction.

On Nov. 25, 2022, Thomas fired a single gunshot using a stolen firearm that struck her mother, Sarah Thomas, 53, in the head. The two were in a heated argument at 2 a.m. on the morning after Thanksgiving at 6 Abbott St. in Natchez.

Sarah Thomas died the following morning in a Jackson hospital.

At the time she shot and killed her mother, Shalece Thomas was wanted in Dallas County, Texas, on drug-related charges.

“The desires of the family were very much factored into the decisions we made in this case,” said Tim Cotton, Sixth Circuit District Attorney.