Man convicted of murder in 2022 Prattville shooting

PRATTVILLE − An Autauga County jury deliberated about an hour and a half Wednesday morning before convicting a man of murder in an October 2022 Prattville shooting.

Jakerian Willis, 20, of Prattville, is set to be sentenced July 17 by Circuit Judge Joy Booth, court records show. He was convicted in the homicide of Vanshun Moseley, 18, also of Prattville. Moseley was shot Oct. 25, 2022, and died several days later. He was shot walking into an outbuilding in the 100 block of Archie Street, said Josh Cochran, chief assistant district attorney.

The building was a “hang out” and had a refrigerator and TV, Cochran said. People were inside the building playing dominoes at the time that Moseley was “ambushed,” Cochran said.

“Vanshun was walking up to the building and when he opened the door Willis started shooting,” Cochran said. “There were eight shots fired and he was shot twice.”

Willis faces a maximum sentence of 99 year to life in prison. Court records show that he was convicted of robbery in an unrelated case in Autauga County where the crime occurred before the shooting. Richard Lively, Willis’ attorney, could not be reached for comment.

The two men knew each other, and Moseley identified Willis to witnesses as the person who shot him immediately after the shooting, Cochran said.

“A life was taken over nothing,” said District Attorney CJ Robinson. “Gang-related crime has spilled over into our community, and we can’t ignore that anymore. We are working daily with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate and eliminate these threats to our public safety.

“Our message is clear… this behavior won’t be tolerated in our backyard.”

Willis is a member of a Prattville gang, Cochran said.

The law doesn’t require the prosecution to provide a motive at trial. The investigation by the Prattville Police Department turned up rumors involving Moseley and his connection to a then-unsolved fatal shooting in Prattville, Cochran said.

“The rumor was Moseley was the one who shot the victim, and the victim was known to Willis,” Cochran said. “There was never any evidence discovered that showed Moseley was the person who shot the victim.”

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com.