Darrell Stewart was sentenced to 30 years after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the shooting of Christopher Goolsby.

A 30-year sentence after a guilty plea is the judgment on the count he admitted. It is not a new accusation. WLBT and WAPT reported that Hinds County District Attorney Brad McCullouch said surveillance video showed Stewart point a firearm at Goolsby, who was unarmed, and fire as Goolsby tried to leave. The plea is the admission. The 30 years is the term Judge Faye Peterson imposed.

WLBT and WAPT reported Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, that Darrell Stewart, 56, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the shooting death of Christopher Goolsby, and that Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Faye Peterson sentenced him to 30 years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Hinds County District Attorney Brad McCullouch announced the plea and the sentence. Both stations spelled the district attorney's name McCullouch. A guilty plea and a sentence announced the same day are the judgment on that count.

WLBT, citing the district attorney's office, reported that on Oct. 14, 2023, Goolsby was at a store on West Capitol Street with two women. One stayed in a vehicle with his 8-month-old child. The other went inside. WLBT reported that after a purchase, Goolsby, who was unarmed, went back to the doorway because he was worried about the behavior of several men inside and wanted to check on the woman who had gone in. WAPT reported the same sequence and the same date. Surveillance video, both stations reported, showed Stewart pull out a firearm, point it at Goolsby, and move toward him. When Goolsby saw the weapon, he tried to get away. Stewart fired more than once and killed him. That is the account the district attorney's office gave of the video. The plea admits the murder count that account supports.

McCullouch said, "Christopher Goolsby was not looking for a confrontation that day. The evidence showed that he was looking out for someone he cared about when he was confronted with a firearm. When Christopher realized the danger, he tried to get away, but Stewart chose to fire multiple times." He said Stewart "will serve 30 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections for taking Christopher Goolsby's life." WLBT reported that Assistant District Attorneys Kurt Guthrie and Victoria Anderson prosecuted the case. The accounts used here do not describe a notice of appeal. The plea and the 30-year term are the judgment. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.