Judge imposes sentence in killing of beloved Gulfport teen, ‘leader among his peers’
A Mississippi Coast teen has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for manslaughter in the Sept. 1, 2024, shooting death of a 16-year-old from Gulfport.
Javione Martin, 17, entered the plea last week before Harrison County Circuit Judge Randi Mueller.
According to Harrison County prosecuting attorneys, Martin shot and killed Charlie “CJ” Fairley, 16,near Robinsdale Road in Gulfport. At the time, Fairley was attempting to recover money from Martin that had been stolen from one of Fairley’s relatives' vehicles the day before.
At the time of the shooting, Martin was 15 years old.
During the plea hearing, Martin said he struck Fairley in the head with a gun before the shooting.
Afterward, he said, Fairley and some friends followed him to a nearby house to recover the stolen money.
Martin said he shot Fairley because he thought Fairley had a gun. Martin also said he got the gun from another teen he had been breaking into cars with.
Harrison County Assistant District Attorney Patti Simpson said Fairley never touched Martin and did not have a gun when the shooting occurred.
Martin apologized to the victim’s family during the plea hearing and said he “accepted the consequences of my actions.”
During sentencing, Mueller told Martin he had “snuffed out” another young life because of his actions.
“You still get to live; you get to have your life. You are going to have an opportunity to have a life that Mr. Fairley is not going to have,” Mueller said.
Prosecutors said the case stood out because “CJ was everything we hope our young people will be.”
“He was a good student, a star athlete and a young man recognized as a leader among his peers,” District Attorney Crosby Parker said.
“CJ was named youth of the year by his local Boys & Girls Club, an honor that reflected his character, commitment to academic excellence and the bright future ahead of him.
“Because of youth gun violence, that future is gone. We did not just lose CJ’s presence. We lost the man he would have become and the positive impact he would have had on this community for years to come.”
Parker said what happened in the case was another reminder that the community must act when they know a child is carrying a gun.
“We must be present in their lives,” he said. “If we know a child is carrying a gun, we cannot ignore it.”
Prosecutors thanked Fairley’s family for the “strength, dignity, love and mercy” shown throughout the case.
“The District Attorney’s Office remains committed to confronting youth violence and working with our community to prevent tragedies like this from happening again,” Parker said.
This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 12:44 PM.
