Man gets 40 years in shooting death of Warren County woman

Published 11:33 am Thursday, July 6, 2023

By John Surratt

John Shoemaker, 62, is escorted into the Warren County Justice Court. Shoemaker is charged with first-degree murder. Judge William Jefferson denied bond. (Photo by Ben Martin | The Vicksburg Post)

A Warren County man was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the April 2022 shooting death of a woman in the 200 block of Leland Drive.

Ninth Circuit District Judge Toni Walker Terrett sentenced John Shoemaker, 62, Thursday. Shoemaker pleaded guilty in May to second-degree murder in the death of Sheila Marie Hedrick, 48. Under state law, Shoemaker will serve his sentence day-for-day.

According to Warren County Sheriff’s Office reports, deputies responding to a call of a dead person in a home in the 200 block of Leland Drive arrived to find Hedrick, 48, dead with at least one gunshot wound.

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Shoemaker was charged with first-degree murder. Both Shoemaker and Hedrick had the address on Leland Drive listed as their residence. Shoemaker was initially charged with first-degree murder and was held without bond.

About John Surratt

John Surratt is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree in general studies. He has worked as an editor, reporter and photographer for newspapers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post staff since 2011 and covers city government. He and his wife attend St. Paul Catholic Church and he is a member of the Port City Kiwanis Club.

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