Drive-by shooting: Trial begins for brothers accused of gunning down 19-year-old in Clarksville

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The jury trial for two brothers charged with the 2020 drive-by murder of a 19-year-old began Monday afternoon.

On February 22, 2020, at approximately 9:45 p.m., police responded to a shots fired call in the 200 block of Cranklen Circle near Clarksville Regional Airport. When emergency responders arrived, they found 19-year-old Malik Madison seriously injured. He was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and six days later, on February 28, Madison died from his injuries.

During the investigation, police arrested two suspects, then 16-year-old KyJuan Fuller and then-18-year-old Jakarius Medley, who are half-brothers.

Counterfeit cash and food

On Monday, Fuller, 20, and Medley, 22, sat at the defense table as the state presented its arguments. Assistant District Attorney Michael Pugh told the jury that the charges stemmed from an edibles deal gone wrong.

Fuller and Medley sold some edibles and a vape cartridge to a man named Jack Docev, Pugh said. After they left the apartment, Medley began to suspect that the cash they had received was counterfeit. When they failed to get real money from Docev, the brothers left “visibly angry,” according to Pugh.

A few nights later, on Feb. 22, Pugh said, Fuller and Medley found out Docev was with Malik Madison near Jack Miller Boulevard.

After driving through the area, they stopped at a house where Medley had previously been. Pugh said the brothers saw someone in the window, and Medley said, “There they are.”

Then 11 shots from a .22 handgun were fired through the window of the house, hitting Madison in the head.

“How many lives must be destroyed?”

Stephanie Ritchie Mize, Medley's attorney, told jurors they would hear testimony from several other teens who were involved that night. Two people were with Fuller and Medley all night, and Ritchie Mize believes the two came together that night to get their stories straight.

She told the jury that the perpetrator, Docev, wouldn't even testify. “Is he (Docev) going to come up here and say, 'Oh, they tried to murder me?' No,” said Ritchie Mize. “He is gone. And that’s because Mr. Docev caused this mess.”

She told the jury they had to decide how much punishment was appropriate. “How many lives must be destroyed for Malik Madison’s death to have meaning?”

Boy with disabilities

Fuller's defense attorney, Timothy Warren, appealed to the jury that his client, then just 16 years old, was the youngest of anyone involved in the case.

Warren said his client experienced several learning difficulties while in school. “KyJuan (Fuller) was immature,” Warren told the jury. “Just a boy. By all other legal standards, KyJuan is a child. He can't vote, can't buy alcohol, can't buy tobacco; By all other legal standards, KyJuan is just a boy.”

Warren told the jury that those who had children knew what it was like to deal with them. He said they look up to everyone as they try to fit in and want to do what they think is best.

“This is about accountability,” Warren said. “KyJuan was too young for a conspiracy, 16 years old and had learning difficulties.”

The trial is scheduled to continue at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Montgomery County Courts Center.

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