Jeremiah T. Byrd has pleaded guilty to murder and other charges for the June 2023 fatal shooting of 16-year-old Gay Mee Paw. Byrd now avoids a trial that was set to begin in April after accepting the plea agreement, which includes a recommended sentence of 25 years in prison
Byrd, now 18, was 16 at the time of the shooting that took place at approximately 12:30 p.m. on June 21, 2023, near Ben Hawes Park. Byrd was arrested that evening, but per state law regarding juvenile suspects, his identity was not released until December 2023 after his first appearance in adult court, at which time he pleaded not guilty.
Byrd was charged with murder, tampering with physical evidence, and possession of a handgun by a minor for the incident. He pleaded guilty to all three charges Friday morning in front of Daviess County Circuit Judge Joe Castlen.
The plea agreement included a recommended sentence of 25 years in prison. That includes a recommendation of 20 years for the murder charge followed by 5 years for the tampering charge. The recommended sentence for the possession charge is 12 months in jail to run concurrently with the prison sentence, per state law for misdemeanors. Because murder is a violent crime, Byrd will be required to serve at least 85% of his sentence.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Mike Van Meter said the agreement was made in consultation with the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office and the victim’s family.
A final sentencing has been scheduled for May 23, when members of both Paw’s and Byrd’s families will be allowed to testify regarding sentencing.
