Travis Posey, the man responsible for a 2024 mass shooting that left four people dead and 11 others injured at a Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce, was sentenced to 220 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges in connection with the tragedy.
Posey, 45, entered a guilty plea on July 21, 2025, during a court appearance at the Ouachita County Detention Center. The plea came more than a year after the incident, marking a dramatic shift from his original not guilty plea maintained throughout the legal process.
As part of the agreement, Posey pleaded guilty to four counts of capital murder and 11 counts of attempted capital murder. He was sentenced to four life terms without the possibility of parole, in addition to 11 consecutive 20-year sentences—totaling 220 years behind bars.
The charges stem from the horrific events of June 21, 2024, when Posey opened fire inside the Fordyce Mad Butcher grocery store, turning an ordinary summer day into one of the darkest in the city’s history.
Among the lives lost were:
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Callie Weems, 23
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Shirley Kay Taylor, 63
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Roy Sturgis, 50
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Ellen Shrum, 81
Eleven others were injured in the rampage, sending shockwaves through the tight-knit south Arkansas community.
Investigators have not disclosed a motive for the attack, and Posey has provided no public explanation for his actions. He has been held at the Ouachita County Detention Center since the day of the shooting and will now spend the remainder of his life in the custody of the Arkansas Department of Correction.
