Young Dolph was fatally shot in his hometown of Memphis last November, adding to the ever-growing list of rapper murders. Three suspects were eventually charged with the crime last month, but one of them has reportedly gone missing.
According to WREG, Memphis law enforcement has issued a warrant for Shondale Barnett, who was arrested in Indiana on January 11 alongside fellow defendant Justin Johnson (also known as aspiring local rapper Straight Drop). Barnett was supposed to be extradited back to Memphis but wound up being released from an Indiana jail just 10 days after his arrest.
Shelby County Sheriff’s Office now have “no idea” where Barnett is. Clay County Sheriff Paul Harden addressed the situation during a press conference on Thursday (February 17).
“On January 11, Mr. Shundale Barnett was brought to the Clay County Jail by the Indiana State Police from an arrest on I-70,” Harden explained. “He was booked in the Clay County Jail on an outstanding warrant from Shelby County, Tennessee.
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“We contacted Shelby County and held him on their warrant. And we were contacted on January 21 and they told us that they were no longer wanting to come and pick up Mr. Barnett and that we were to release him at that time.”
Third Young Dolph Murder Suspect Arrested & Charged
As to why Barnett was released, District Attorney General Amy Weirich didn’t give a definitive answer and instead offered, “I can’t, because it’s a pending case. It is a pending investigation, it is a pending prosecution, and we can’t get into that at this time. When we can, we will answer all those questions that I know the public has.”
Barnett was charged with being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder as well as criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder and theft of property. Cornelius Smith, another suspect in the murder of Young Dolph, remains in custody as does Justin Johnson.
