KWTX reported Demerrion Keith Crayton was sentenced Monday to 22 ½ years in the shooting death of Michael Everett Jr.

A guilty plea to murder is the judgment Monday's term follows. "Claims he didn't fire" is his account, as the station reported it. It is not a finding that someone else fired. Half of 22 ½ years, and the 11½ or 12 years his lawyer named, are not the same arithmetic on the page. The story does not print a judge.

KWTX, in a story by Tommy Witherspoon whose visible line reads Published Nov. 2, 2026 at 2:43 PM CST, and whose page record lists article:published_time and article:modified_time as 2026-11-02T20:43:59.899Z, reported that a Waco man whose pistol was used in the November 2023 shooting death of Michael Everett Jr. was sentenced to 22 ½ years in prison Monday. The visible line also reads Updated: 3 hours ago. The page record's modified time is the same as the published time. It reported Demerrion Keith Crayton, 25, pleaded guilty to murder in the 24-year-old Everett's shooting death on Nov. 15, 2023, at The Villages apartment complex, 1100 North Sixth Street. It reported Everett, the father of a son and daughter, was shot in the back of the head and died two days later. The children are not named. It reported Crayton, who prosecutors allege is a member of a Waco gang, claims he didn't fire the gun that night, but handed his pistol to someone else who fired the fatal shots, and that DNA from Crayton and another person were found on the gun, officials said. Allege, claims, and officials said are not a finding that names a second shooter. The guilty plea to murder is the judgment. It reported his attorney, Jason P. Darling, said Everett was not the intended victim that night and "was in the wrong place at the wrong time," and that Darling said a rival gang member was the intended target, while Everett's mother said in a victim impact statement Monday that her son was not associated with gangs. Prosecutors allege he is a gang member. His mother said Everett was not associated with gangs. Those are not the same sentence. The story does not print a judge's name and does not print the court.

KWTX reported Crayton buried his face in his hands on the courtroom counsel table as Everett's mother and sister addressed him. It reported Darling said his client is "truly remorseful" for his role in Everett's death, and quoted him: "Demerrion weighed the benefits of going to trial and taking a plea bargain, even though he maintains he wasn't the one who pulled the trigger. His gun was involved, and so he knows he has to take some responsibility. He feels bad for Michael's family and feels bad he won't be there to be a father for his son for the next 11½ or 12 years." Maintains he wasn't the one who pulled the trigger is the lawyer's account of his client's position. It is not a verdict that someone else fired. Eleven and a half or 12 years is the lawyer's range for how long he will be away from his son. The station's next sentence is that Crayton must be given credit for serving at least half of his sentence before he can seek parole. Half of 22 ½ is not printed as a number. Eleven and a half or 12 is not the same figure as half of 22 ½. The son is not named. It reported McLennan County District Attorney Josh Tetens thanked Waco police investigators, and quoted, "And we are hopeful that the Everett family can now begin to find some closure." The quotation begins with And.

The station then reports the arrest affidavit. It reported Everett was at the apartment complex with another man, stayed in a Buick while the other man went to one of the apartments, and that surveillance footage showed a second vehicle waiting near the Buick. It reported that as the man who entered the apartment walked back, the second vehicle drove by and several individuals inside it fired several rounds at the Buick, that Everett and the Buick were struck, and that the man who was with Everett ran away. It reported police recovered spent cartridge casings from at least two firearms, including 9mm casings. At least two firearms, in the affidavit account, and one CZ pistol, in the traffic-stop account, are not the same number of guns. It reported Crayton was arrested May 17, 2024, after Waco officers stopped a vehicle he was driving for a traffic violation, that he told them he had a pistol in the front seat, and that officers found a 9mm CZ pistol, leading to an arrest for unlawful carrying a weapon, according to arrest records. It reported officials tested the weapon and discovered the gun he had was the same gun that fired the 9mm projectile recovered from Everett's body and produced shell casings found at the murder scene, the affidavit alleges. It reported he admitted the CZ pistol belonged to him and said he bought the gun in Waco in 2023. It reported police wrote that his story about the murder was "inconsistent," that he initially told investigators he knew nothing, that he later said he had spoken to people who knew what happened, that he claimed to be at work, and that a review of his employment records showed he was lying, police alleged. It reported police also discovered a social media account in which he posted photos of him posing with the gun and pointing it at the camera on the date Everett was killed, police alleged. Alleged, in those affidavit sentences, is not the Monday plea. It reported Everett's mother, Azell Everett, wore a shirt with "Justice 4 Michael" printed on the front and said she was not happy with the plea agreement, adding that life in prison without parole would not be enough in her estimation. It quoted her, "I can hear Michael tell me, 'Mom, I'm gone and I got you forever.' For months I pleaded with you to soften your heart and do the right thing," and "Michael was not involved in gang activity and he could never hurt anyone." It reported she said Everett's son puts toys and snacks on his father's grave because he doesn't want his Dad to be hungry. The son is not named. It quoted her that life without the possibility of parole is still not enough, that even though that is not the sentence he received, it is one he deserves, and "I hope when you look in the mirror you see Michael's face over yours." Life without parole, in her statement, is not the 22 ½ years the station reported the court imposed. The lead photograph is captioned Demerrion Crayton, with the credit KWTX GRAPHIC, one adult man. The police-light background around that portrait was cropped off. Monday's term is the sentence on the guilty plea. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.