Gulfport woman pleads guilty to fatally shooting ex-boyfriend in 2022

On October 23, 2024By Yukito

GULFPORT, Mo. (WLOX) – District Attorney W. Crosby Parker announced that 40-year-old Edna Charlene Rivers pleaded guilty to multiple charges for murdering her ex-boyfriend in October 2022.

The investigation began on October 26, 2022, when Harrison County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to Singing River Hospital in Gulfport regarding a shooting victim being admitted to the emergency room.

READ ALSO: Harrison County woman charged with murder after man dies from his injuries (October 31, 2022)

The victim was identified as 35-year-old Kendray Stallworth of Gautier.

Hospital surveillance footage shows Rivers arriving at the hospital in a Stallworth car, where she went inside and told a nurse she needed help because her friend had been shot or stabbed.

When police arrived at the hospital, Rivers told them that upon arriving at her home, she took Stallworth to the hospital, saying he was cold, and then he suddenly collapsed.

Rivers said she took Stallworth to the hospital because no one answered when she called 911.

A search of Rivers’ Gulfport home revealed a shell casing on the kitchen counter and several bloodstains throughout the house.

When officials asked Rivers about the shell casing, she admitted that she shot Stallworth, her ex-boyfriend, during an argument. Rivers told police that she invited Stallworth to her home, wanting to give him a ride to CSL Plasma, but was upset that he arrived late.

Harrison County Sheriff’s Office detectives confirmed that Rivers called 911 after Stallworth was shot, but the call lasted only eight seconds after she ended it after dispatcher answered.

“Instead of continuing the call or calling 911 again, the defendant called her sister in Biloxi several times, asking her to drive to Gulfport to help load the victim into the car,” said Assistant District Attorney Jasmine Magee. “Over an hour passed between Mr. Stallworth being shot and his arrival at the hospital – valuable time that could have saved his life.”

Rivers told law enforcement she put the gun in her purse and gave it to her sister. Her sister followed her to the hospital and was supposed to take Rivers home after taking Stallworth to the hospital.

The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office later recovered the purse and gun, and Sister River was ultimately charged with accessory after the fact and obstruction of the investigation, which is still ongoing.

Stallworth died on October 28, 2022. An autopsy revealed he died from a single gunshot wound.

District Court Judge Christopher L. Schmidt sentenced Rivers to 40 years for second-degree murder, with 20 years suspended, leaving 20 years of service in the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

Rivers also pleaded guilty to tampering with ID cards and was sentenced to an additional 10 years.

Both sentences will run consecutively for a total of 30 years in prison.

Once released from custody, Rivers will also have five years of post-release supervision.

See a spelling or grammatical error in this story? Report it to our team HERE.