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NATCHEZ — Tayshon Holmes of Natchez pleaded guilty Wednesday afternoon to a charge of second-degree homicide in the 2021 death of Bill Calvin Jr.

Holmes was 15, and Calvin was 19 in July 2021 when Calvin went missing. Adams County Sheriff’s deputies found Calvin’s body on Oct. 25, 2021, in a wooded area near Booker and Morgantown roads.

Sheriff Travis Patten and his deputies worked with technology available through the Concordia Parish (Louisiana) Sheriff’s Office and cadaver dogs to locate Calvin’s body. They were then able to determine Holmes was the person who shot Calvin in the head, causing his death.

An Adams County Grand Jury indicted Holmes for that crime.

In addition, Holmes also pleaded guilty on Wednesday to the carjacking of a Natchez woman outside Stanton Baptist Church on Jan. 8. Holmes and two others — Jashon Jones, 15, and Robert Earl Smith, 16 — escaped from the Henley-Young-Patten Juvenile Justice Center in Hinds County overnight on Jan. 7 and, after stealing a van, made their way to Natchez.

After terrorizing the city for almost four days, Natchez Police and Adams County Sheriff’s deputies, with the help of a multitude of law enforcement from surrounding agencies, apprehended the three.

Sixth District Circuit Court Judge Debra Blackwell sentenced Holmes to a 40-year sentence with 30 years to serve on the homicide charge and 10 years on the carjacking charge to run consecutively.

District Attorney Tim Cotton said Holmes’ guilty plea to second-degree homicide was not accepted lightly.

“The family of Bill Calvin understood exactly what we were offering on the front end and, if they had not agreed, it would not have been offered,” Cotton said. “His mother has relocated from the area and she is very joyful and happy that there is a resolution in this case.”

He also said the plea arrangement went forward with constant communication with and consent from law enforcement.

Further, he said the victim of the carjacking agreed with a plea arrangement.

“She has been here in this office more times than I can count. Don’t get me wrong, she was strong enough to testify, but she very much wanted to resolve the matter short of her testifying,” Cotton said.

In the carjacking case, Smith confessed that he stole the van out of Jackson after the trio escaped and that he found the revolver in the vehicle under the driver’s seat.

“He confessed that he drove the van from Jackson to Natchez and had the revolver in his lap the entire time. The others — Holmes and Jones — knew about the gun, but there was no plan to actually harm anyone,” Cotton said.

Cotton said Smith and Jones had no Natchez connection at the time of the escape, other than Holmes having a place he could stay here.

“Smith said they drove by Stanton Baptist Church, where they saw the victim’s car parked and the victim was on the phone. They made a U-turn and came back to the church parking lot,” Cotton said.

The victim told Cotton she heard a tap on the glass, and Robert Smith was standing there with the revolver.

“Jashon Jones did not get out of the van, all three have said. Tayshon got out of the van but did not go up to the glass where the victim was,” Cotton said. “Smith confessed that he fired what he intended to be one shot, but he fired two shots, and one struck the victim. She was able to walk to the nearest house where she got help.”

Jones pleaded guilty to the charge of carjacking on Wednesday, and Blackwell sentenced him to 15 years with 10 years mandatory to serve.

Smith also pleaded guilty, but Blackwell is awaiting a pre-sentencing investigation before he is sentenced. His sentencing has continued until Oct. 28.

“Holmes has done enough to solidify that he is a violent person in this community,” Cotton said. “He stood up in court and admitted to exactly what he did. Robert Smith has a capital murder charge in Jackson, in addition to a charge for assaulting a corrections officer. We want to see the extent of his criminal history before he is sentenced. As for Jones, he was in a bad place at a bad time. He now has 10 years to think about it.

“As much as we like trials and we have been successful at trial, we must be cognizant of the victim’s families and we must also look at the facts we have and other variables we have. These guys are looking at mandatory sentences. They will be going to these other jurisdictions to face charges, also, which in my opinion should be consecutive to what they are serving for their crimes down here,” Cotton said.

He thanked his staff and said the work they are doing is remarkable.

“I cannot thank this staff enough. We are doing everything we can possibly do to decrease the backlog of cases and to make this community proud of what we are trying to do. What you see and hear being done has nothing to do with me. This office is bigger than me, and the output that comes from this office is a direct reflection of the people who work inside this office. We are working very hard with victims and law enforcement on a daily basis.”

Cotton also praised the work of the law enforcement officers involved.

“I don’t know anyone from law enforcement to the DA’s office who is not working to make sure this community is a safer place every day,” he said.

“I will say that Judge Blackwell was very responsive to the recommendations of the state. We went through a very detailed hearing during the plea and articulated why these recommendations were made, and she accepted those recommendations,” Cotton said. “Those recommendations are based on meetings with the victims and law enforcement, and when the court accepts them, it lets us know we are fashioning offers in cases that are just and fair.”

Patten thanked the District Attorney’s office and Blackwell for issuing the sentence Holmes received.

“I am happy Bill Calvin Jr.’s family has some sort of relief and closure. Even when it comes to the carjacking, that victim was just sitting there using the phone. This has to be a sense of relief for her, too,” Patten said. “Individuals who recklessly commit violence like this do not deserve to be on the streets. I want to thank the District Attorney, the Natchez Police Department, Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office and other Concordia Parish law enforcement agencies, and the U.S. Marshals, who all put men on the street here to capture the three escapees. It just goes to further prove that if you commit violent crime in Adams County, you will receive the maximum penalty for it.”