There was a surprise ending to Thursday’s Circuit Court proceedings. 22 year old Byron Lavell Dunn entered into a plea agreement with the state. Dunn’s charges stemmed from a shooting in August 2014 in the VFW building. Two men were killed in that shooting; Dunn was charged in the death of SAU football player Brandon Hobdy. Dunn was scheduled for trial later this month. He was originally charged with capital murder and attempted murder first degree. But Dunn’s attorney showed up in the courtroom at 4:35 Thursday and spoke to Deputy Prosecutor Ryan Phillips. After a short recess, the charges were reduced to murder second degree and Dunn pleaded guilty. Judge David Talley followed the recommendations of the plea agreement and sentenced Dunn to 30 years in prison.
