Brown given 40 years for murder – Judge Chaney

Ricky Saxton, 57, was shot in the head Nov. 13, 2013, in a field in a remote part of Yazoo County.

Saxton had gone to pick up a vehicle and was never heard from again, according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Witnesses said at the time that investigators found Saxton’s body by tracking the GPS signal on his cellphone.

Ricky Saxton from a widely circulated photo on social media.

Johnny Mack Brown was arrested two years later after confessing to the murder.

Johnny Mack Brown

On Friday, Judge M. James Chaney sentenced Brown to 40 years in prison for Saxton’s murder, armed robbery, possession of a firearm by a felon and conspiracy. Brown has been incarcerated since 2015 and will be given credit for time served. He will serve 26 years, have five years of post-release supervision, followed by nine years probation.