MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Jury selection begins Monday in the trial of two men charged in the 2017 road rage death of a toddler.
It was a crime that stunned the Memphis community.
The two men charged in this case are cousins who were driving in Hickory Hill in 2017 when they got into a confrontation with another driver and one of the men opened fire.
Two-year-old Laylah Washington was in a car with her mother when a bullet struck her in the head.
She died two days later.
They say 21-year-old Tylan McCray pulled the trigger. He’s charged with first-degree murder. Police said Tylan later confessed to the shooting, but his attorney later tried to get his confession thrown out.
His cousin, Brandon McCray, is charged with accessory after the fact. Police say Brandon was driving the car the gun was fired from.
Both men were identified through a CrimeStoppers tip on the one-year anniversary of Laylah’s death.
The victim’s family has been critical of how this case has been handled so far.
They wanted charges against the driver upgraded to murder and they were furious when Shelby County accidentally released Tylan McCray on a $15,000 bond.
The judge had set his bail at $15 million dollars but a typo led to his release.
Now, Laylah’s family will have to wait another two months for trial. One of McCray’s attorneys, Bill Massey, had an issue arise that prevented him from currently moving forward with the case. The trial has been reset for Oct. 17.
“Mr. McCray is ready for his day in court,” McCray’s attorney Lauren Fuchs said. “The Washington’s are ready for their day in court, and that day will be October 17.”
Documents also shows that jurors may be taken to the Kirby and Winchester Road area where the altercation started and along the route Washington took to get away from the gunfire and help for her injured toddler.
Laylah’s family was not in court, and her mom Leslie Washington told WREG by phone that she had nothing to say. However, Washington has been vocal about the time it has taken to get justice for her daughter’s murder.
“She won’t attend school. She won’t get a chance to graduate,” Washington said. “I mean they still giving them an opportunity to pursue dreams in their life.”
