BEAUMONT, Texas — A woman pleaded guilty to manslaughter Tuesday for her involvement in the January 2022 murder of man in Beaumont's West End.
Mychelle Kshone Cole, 24, of Silsbee, was originally charged with first-degree murder in the death of Isaiah Brandon Wagner, 31, of Beaumont.
Cole plead guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter before Judge John Stevens in the Criminal District Court Tuesday via Zoom. She would have faced anywhere from two to 20 years in prison if she had been found guilty of manslaughter.
Cole's plea is an "open plea," meaning the judge will determine the punishment and it can be anywhere within the two to 20 year range.
A sentencing hearing will be held at a future date.
Cole was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury April 2022.
The deadly shooting happened on January 30, 2022. Beaumont Police went to the 6500 block of Phelan Boulevard shortly before midnight after receiving calls about shots being fired.
Officers found Wagner's body along the side of the Beaumont Heights Apartment Complex, according to another probable cause affidavit. Wagner had been shot multiple times.
Police later learned Wagner was the victim of an aggravated assault that happened in the 2100 block of Grand Street on January 24, 2022. During that incident, Wagner and his vehicle had been shot at more than 40 times, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Evidence suggested there was a potential match between the shell casing fired from one of the weapons recovered from the January 24 incident and the January 30 murder, according to the affidavit.
Renaldo Dotson, 19, was indicted in connection with the death of Wagner in August 2022. Dotson was found in Houston with the assistance of the US Marshals, according to a news release from the Beaumont Police Department.
On August 4, 2022, detectives interviewed Cole. During the interview she said Dotson was one of the shooters involved in the murder according to the affidavit.
A search warrant was completed for call detail records on Dotson's cell phone. Records show Dotson was at the Beaumont Heights Apartment Complex during the homicide and left minutes later.
Dotson is charged with murder and is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on a $1 million, according to jail records.
Kedrain Perkins, 23, was also charged with murder in connection with the deadly shooting of Wagner.
Records show contact between Dotson and Perkins during the time of the homicide, according to the affidavit.
Perkins is currently being held in the Jefferson County Jail on bonds totaling $2 million. He is also charged in the death of Felton Jones.
If convicted at trial, Perkins faces from 15 to 99 years in prison or life. It is unknown what punishment Dotson could face if convicted.
Trial dates have not yet been set for Perkins or Dotson
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.