Two arrests made after Friday night murder

BYRD  — Two men have been arrested after a shooting Friday night, Aug. 15, that left a woman dead and a child in critical condition in the Byrd area west of Hamilton.
After a manhunt, Tristen Stewart was arrested on Saturday morning, Aug. 16, on capital murder charges, and his father, Kenneth Stewart, was arrested for aiding and abetting and obstruction of governmental operations.
According to Marion County Sheriff Kevin Williams, Tristen Stewart is being charged for shooting and killing his wife, Taylor Stewart, and seriously injuring his nearly two-year-old daughter.
“We got a call (Friday) night around 8:25 that a woman and a small child had been shot,” Williams said. “It was at the 700 block in the Stewart Road area. We don’t know why or what his motive was. They were found in the back bedroom of the house, and both were shot multiple times.
“This is one of the most tragic scenes that I’ve seen in my career in law enforcement because it involved a young child. I’m glad we could apprehend him. I didn’t want anything to happen to anyone else.”
The woman was

pronounced dead at Northwest Mississippi Medical Center in Hamilton, while the child is in critical but stable condition after being airlifted.  
Stewart’s father, Kenneth, was at the residence and reported the incident, but Williams alleged he intentionally left out important information on his son’s whereabouts, which led to his arrest for obstruction and aiding and abetting his son in capital murder.
Not only did he allegedly lie to investigators, but according to court documents, Kenneth Stewart is alleged to have driven his son away from the crime scene to evade capture before returning to the scene one hour later to call 911. He then allegedly gave false statements to police to mislead them and slow Tristen’s capture.
Tristen was arrested around 11:00 a.m. Saturday morning with the help of some of his family members, according to Williams. He was found at another residence in the Byrd community.
Williams explained he is being charged with capital murder in accordance with state law, since the killing took place in front of a child.
According to state law, someone who commits a murder in the presence of their own child under 14 can be charged with capital murder.
The Hamilton Police Department assisted on the call and the case, along with the 25th Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, the Guin Police Department, ALEA Aviation Unit, FBI, Marion County EMS, Byrd Fire Department and Marion County 911.
Stewart was booked into Marion County Jail after his arrest, as was his father. Both have been denied bond as of Monday morning, Aug. 18.

*When a defendant is charged with a crime, the charge is merely an accusation until or unless proven guilty in a court of law.