Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney John K. “Bubba” Bramlett announced today that James Jaleel Ross, 34, was convicted of first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon as a violent habitual offender on Wednesday after a three day jury trial. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for both counts.
Shortly after midnight on the morning of July 19, 2025, Troy Waldrep was shot and killed at the Camden Park Apartments in Canton. Troy had gone to a party with his friend and his friend’s female cousin. When they returned to the female’s residence, the female’s ex-boyfriend saw her in the car with the two men and mistakenly assumed she was romantically involved with Troy. Ross got out of his vehicle, walked up to the car and fired a single shot through the passenger side window at Troy hitting him in the face. Sadly, Troy died on scene, and Ross fled. He was located two days later entering a hotel in Ridgeland.
Ross elected to go to trial on his charges. Assistant District Attorneys Scott Rogillio and Ashley Allen tried the case for the State. The Defendant was represented by Judith Barnett and Bridgett Todd. The State presented testimony by multiple eyewitnesses and others, including John Chalk, a geolocation expert whose testimony placed Ross’s cell phone in the area of the crime scene at the time of the murder. Ross testified at trial as well, denying his involvement.
After a very short deliberation, the jury unanimously found Ross guilty of both counts. The jury also found Ross to be a violent habitual offender as he has multiple prior felony convictions. The court imposed life sentences for both counts as requested by the prosecution and required by the habitual offender statute.
District Attorney Bramlett stated, “This case is heartbreaking and tragic. The senseless killing of Troy Waldrep should not have happened. James Ross had only been out of prison for a little over a year when he murdered this innocent man. He clearly cannot be rehabilitated and deserves to spend the rest of his life behind bars. This case took a lot of work by law enforcement and my office. I hope the verdict and resulting sentences give the family of Troy Waldrep some sense of closure. And, as always, I want to thank all the people who showed up for jury duty this week.
Without citizens willing to honor their jury summons, our criminal justice system would fail. This case is yet another example of how the people who live in Madison and Rankin counties help ensure that we all can have a safe place to raise our families and hold those who break the law accountable.”
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