Talladega man pleads guilty in 2012 murder and assault

Cameron Lavorus White

The second suspect in the 2012 murder of an Oxford man entered a guilty plea Monday. A Calhoun County judge sentenced 32 ­year ­old Cameron Lavorus White to 20 years as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

White plead guilty to the murder of Barry Wright and the attempted murder of Lorenzo Gilmer. The shooting happened at Wright's house in Oxford on July 21, 2012. Gilmer is confined to a wheelchair due to the injuries he suffered during the shooting.

Calhoun County jurors convicted 25­year­old Raphael Lamar Simmons of shooting the two men. Simmons testified during his 2013 trial that he and White went from Talladega to Oxford for a drug deal. Simmons received a 62 year prison sentence. Assistant district attorney Tim Burgess said prosecutors believe White had less culpability in the shooting than Simmons. Burgess said Gilmer and Wright's widow approved a plea agreement. They recommended White receive 20 years for each charge, which will run concurrently.

White will serve five years in prison as part of a split sentence. If he violates the terms of his release during probation, White must serve the remaining years of the sentence.

Charges are pending against a third suspect in the case, Terry Shondell Thomas.