Austin man pleads not guilty to felony murder and firearm possession charges in Mower County District Court

An Austin man who was taken into custody on September 3rd on a felony murder charge after a homicide at a northwest Austin residence early on the morning of July 31st has pleaded not guilty to murder and firearm possession charges in Mower County District Court.

27-year old Me’Darian Ledale McGruder is charged with felonies for second-degree murder and being a violent felon in possession of a firearm. Authorities reported that McGruder shot 20-year-old Tyesha Tahne Gills inside a residence on the 100 block of 10th St. NW in Austin on July 31st.  Police stated that Gills was found wounded and later died at Mayo Clinic Health Systems in Austin.

A warrant was issued for McGruder’s arrest on August 2nd but he remained at large for several more weeks before finally being apprehended in Mississippi on September 3rd.  

A trial for McGruder is scheduled to start in Mower County District Court on May 9th, 2022. McGruder remains in the Mower County Jail on a $2 million bond.