September 4, 2026

WILMAR, Ark. — A Drew County jury convicted Taiwan V. Collins, 27, of McGehee, on two counts of First-Degree Murder and one count of Terroristic Act in connection to a 2023 Wilmar double homicide. He was sentenced to 57 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

On December 3, 2023, the Drew County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) responded to a 911 call at approximately 2:30 a.m., arriving at the old Wilmar School on North 5th Street to find two deceased men. Suquorey Pitts Jr., 25, of Dumas, was found in the front passenger seat of a vehicle parked in the driveway of the school. Independence Young, 21, of McGehee, was found lying on North 5th Street. Both men had been shot and were pronounced dead at the scene.

The DCSO had asked the Arkansas State Police (ASP) Criminal Investigation Division to investigate.

On July 30, 2024, during a traffic stop in Lake Village, a passenger, who was identified as Collins, was arrested by ASP and taken into custody.