Tyler woman sentenced to 20 years for 2017 murder of 22-year-old Joshua McGee
Published 4:14 pm Thursday, June 11, 2026
A Tyler woman was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to murder for her role in the 2017 killing of Joshua McGee.
Jakysia Rodgers, 33, is already incarcerated on an unrelated conviction and was indicted on a murder charge in May.
McGee was murdered at the age of 22 in August 2017, but none of investigators’ efforts led to solving the case until 2024, when the Tyler Police Department received new information that led investigators to identify Rodgers and another suspect — Quadaverine Allison, 32, of Longview — as suspects in the homicide.
The homicide investigation was launched in 2017 after a gunshot victim was brought to a Tyler hospital around 7:45 a.m. Aug. 11, 2017. Officers determined the shooting happened outside the residence of 1602 E. Lawrence Street a few minutes earlier. The victim, identified as McGee, asked for the help of a neighbor, who drove him to the hospital after he was shot. McGee died at the hospital.
Police said a blood trail was seen inside the Lawrence Street home. Investigators said it was not a random shooting and believed narcotics were connected to the incident.
A portion of Rodgers’ sentence will run concurrently with a sentence she is already serving for an unrelated aggravated assault conviction, according to the Smith County District Attorney’s Office.
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Although McGee’s murder remained unsolved for nearly seven years, prosecutors say resolution shows local investigators’ commitment to seeking justice.
“This sentence represents accountability for Rodgers’ role in the murder of Joshua McGee,” Assistant District Attorney Heath Chamness said. “While no sentence can undo the loss suffered by Mr. McGee’s family and loved ones, the resolution of this case demonstrates the commitment of Tyler Police Department to pursue justice, regardless of how much time has passed.”
The Smith County Criminal District Attorney’s Office commends Detective Gardner and the Tyler Police Department for their dedication and persistence in investigating this case and securing justice for McGee.
The DA’s office continues to prosecute Allison, the co-defendant in this case. He is serving a 25-year prison sentence at the Allred Unit after pleading guilty to aggravated robbery in 2018.
The Longview News-Journal reported Allison robbed a Little Caesars on High Street in July 2017. Allison’s sister was also charged in the robbery. The News-Journal reported she previously worked at the pizza joint until she was fired a few months before the robbery. The pair got away with $1,212 in cash from the restaurant’s safe.
McGee’s sister, A’aliyah, said in a statement the family has been seeking answers since 2017 in the murder case, CBS19 reported in May after the indictments were announced.
“Even with the amount of evidence Smith County had, no one had been charged for years in connection with his death,” she wrote in the statement, according to CBS19. “Back in June, we received a call from detectives letting us know they were charging two people, and about three weeks ago, we were informed that the indictments were being served. Then yesterday, one of the suspects (Rodgers) was finally transported to Smith County.”
A’aliyah said that after nearly 10 years, her family finally feels “like we are getting justice and closure” for her brother, McGee.
“To anyone still seeking justice for their loved one, don’t stop demanding answers. Keep turning in every piece of evidence you have, because no amount of evidence is too small,” she said. “We stayed on top of this case from the very beginning, making sure detectives had everything they needed — screenshots, screen recordings, pictures, text messages, anything we could think of. Our biggest goal was making sure my brother’s case never became a cold case.”
She said the family made a promise they would get justice.
“… Even though it took years, we’re grateful that day has finally come,” she said.
Tyler woman, Longview man charged with capital murder in 2017 homicide