Suspect arrested in MBI murder investigation in Covington Co.

COVINGTON COUNTY, Miss. (WDAM) - A suspect has been arrested in connection to an October murder investigation in Covington County.

According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, 20-year-old Joseph Owens, of Mount Olive, has been arrested in the case.

Owens was arrested by the Covington County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday on a warrant and has been charged with one count of murder. His bond was set at $500,000 by Judge John Laz Sanford on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Owens was also charged with conspiracy to commit a crime. This charge came with another $500,000 added to his previous bond.

According to the incident report, the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol responded to a drive-by shooting into a vehicle on U.S. Highway 49 near Alton Folks Road on Saturday, Oct. 22, around 9:52 p.m.

Officials found one man suffering from a gunshot wound inside the vehicle. He was transported to Forrest General where he later died from his injuries.

MBI confirmed the identity of the deceased man was 21-year-old Rahim Trotter.

It’s unclear if additional arrests are possible.

This is an open investigation, and no further comments will be made by MBI at this time.

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