RUSK, Texas — Jurors found an East Texas man not guilty Thursday afternoon in connection with the disappearance of a Jacksonville teen who has been missing since 2020.
After over three hours of deliberations, Cameron Shead, of Palestine, was found not guilty on the charge of capital murder as well as the lesser offenses of murder and aggravated kidnapping in connection with the disappearance of 18-year-old Tyress Gipson, who was last seen in August 2020.
His trial began Monday in the 369th District Court at the Cherokee County Courthouse in Rusk with Shead pleading not guilty.
Shead's attorney Jeff Hass said the jury took their duty very seriously and "did what they were supposed to do."
"Evidently, they found the evidence wasn't sufficient to send someone away to prison for the rest of their life," Hass said. "I'm very proud of what the jury did."
In a response to the verdict, Cherokee County District Attorney Elmer Beckworth said that "as an officer of the court, it is our duty to always respect the jury's verdict."
Shead was arrested in September 2020 along with Derrick D. Hicks, Breonna M. Jimenez and a juvenile on aggravated kidnapping charges related to Gipson's disappearance, according to the Jacksonville Police Department. Shead was later indicted for capital murder.
Family and officials say Gipson was last seen Aug. 22, 2020 when he left his home after receiving a Snapchat. Gipson's body has not yet been recovered.
An indictment had alleged on or about Aug. 23, 2020, Shead caused the death of Gipson "by unknown means" while committing or attempting to commit aggravated kidnapping.
Beckworth in his closing arguments said Shead texted Breonna M. Jimenez and got together with Hicks and the juvenile to tie up Gipson and torture him.
He said Shead told Jimenez to go to the police and tell of his version of what happened. Beckworth said searches by law enforcement and finding certain items in totality connect Shead to Gipson's disappearance and death.
Beckworth played a recording of a phone conversation between Jimenez and Shead. Jimenez told Shead the police have called her in for interviews multiple times and she was scared. He told Jimenez to make sure she had her story straight and said she should stay calm.
Shead worked with the others to lure Gipson to be kidnapped and murdered, Beckworth said.
The defense in its closing arguments said jurors should make their decision based solely on the evidence. Shead's lawyer said the only just verdict would be not guilty.
Shead's lawyer said in August 2020, law enforcement began applying pressure because they wanted someone to be arrested for Gipson's disappearance.
He told the jury Jimenez, who testified previously in the trial, was motivated to give false testimony to make a better deal for herself. The lawyer said Jimenez told multiple different stories that were made up.
The attorney brought up that Jimenez said a Tahoe was used in the commission of Gipson's disappearance and death; however, other witnesses said that vehicle was inoperable around the time of August 2020.
At the time of the alleged offense, another vehicle, a Charger, which Jimenez had mentioned, was at Shead's girlfriend Shauntel Simpson's brother's house all night, the defense told the jury.
He claimed the prosecution stretched evidence in the case. The lawyer said Jimenez was offered a deal in September 2020 to get less time in prison if she helped law enforcement in their investigation.
The lawyer said law enforcement testified in court that they had no evidence connecting Shead to Gipson's disappearance. He showed the jury what he described as photographic evidence that Shead was with his daughter in his Palestine apartment at the time of Gipson's disappearance.
Shead's other lawyer said there was no blood or DNA evidence taken by law enforcement. He said investigators had "tunnel vision" in trying to make an arrest for Gipson's disappearance.
Beckworth, in response to the defense, said Jimenez remembered the events related to Gipson's disappearance, but she didn't recall specific times.
Beckworth told the jury that the photos of Shead and his child that the defense mentioned were taken when Shead returned home around 1 a.m., not in the time frame of Gipson's disappearance. He said Shead took those photos at that time for a reason.
He said a receipt shows the Charger allegedly involved in the case was not at Shead's girlfriend Shauntel Simpson's brother's house that night.
Beckworth said Jimenez initially told police the story Shead told her and later confessed to her involvement on her own. He told jurors the testimony from defense witnesses on Wednesday show the "domination and control" that Shead has over them.
He said Shead and others kidnapped and murdered Gipson and came back to lie about what happened. Beckworth said at one point, Shead told Jimenez in a conversation "don't worry, the body won't come up."
"On behalf of the state of Texas and the family of Tyress Gipson, I ask you to find the defendant guilty of capital murder," Beckworth said in concluding his statements.