On October 30, 2023, Vinet Williams Moore, 43, of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, appeared in Jackson County Circuit Court for sentencing for the crimes of Kidnapping, Aggravated Assault and Burglary of an Inhabited Dwelling. After a lengthy hearing, Judge Calvin Taylor rejected the Defendant’s victim blaming and sentenced him to seventy-five (75) years with fifty (50) years to serve in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
On September 9, 2021, two children called 911 requesting for law enforcement to respond to their home where the Defendant had broken in with a sledgehammer and was assaulting their mother. The children were evacuated from the home through a bedroom window. The neighboring houses were evacuated as well. Armed with two handguns, Mr. Moore held the victim hostage, eventually shooting her as she tried to escape. She survived her injuries. After an over 5 hour stand-off, Mr. Moore relinquished his guns and surrendered to law enforcement.
District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath stated, “Vinet Moore not only terrorized the victim and her daughters, but he also put the lives of the neighbors and the responding officers at risk. Mr. Moore has still shown no remorse for his actions. He is the classic narcissistic, victim-blaming, gas-lighting abuser who abused the victim for years. Mr. Moore went to the victim’s home armed with two handguns with the intent to shoot her and he did just that. It is a miracle the victim survived her injuries. The children exhibited amazing bravery in getting their mom help and escaping from the home. The trauma and terror experienced by the victim and her daughters at the hands of Mr. Moore is unimaginable. The Court’s lengthy sentence will protect not only the victim and her family, but the community at large.
Domestic violence is among the most dangerous and deadly calls to which our law enforcement officers respond. As Judge Taylor pointed out, our law enforcement run to the danger and should be commended. I want to thank the Jackson County Sheriff Deputies and ESU members who responded to this scene and brought it to a non-deadly end.” Assistant District Attorney Bill Barrett stated, “Thanks goes out to the first responders who ran towards the sound of gunfire during this tragic incident. They put their safety in jeopardy in order to save the victim and her children, as well as others in the neighborhood. The law enforcement officers with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, the Sheriff's Emergency Services Unit, and all the other law enforcement agencies who immediately responded to the scene should be commended. Our community will not tolerate this type of violence.”
This case was prosecuted by District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath and Assistant District Attorney Bill Barrett.