A Wilson County jury has convicted a 41-year-old Jamaican man in connection with a deadly 2024 robbery at Cedar Creek Marina that claimed the life of an innocent bystander.
Adrian McClean was found guilty on September 18 of first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated robbery for his role in the violent June 29, 2024 incident in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. Some court records spell his name as McLean.
The victim, 27-year-old Bailey Gardner of Kansas, was shot and killed while sitting in his vehicle in the marina parking lot. Prosecutors said Gardner had no involvement in the robbery and was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
According to investigators, three armed suspects entered the restaurant at Cedar Creek Marina in the early morning hours and ambushed staff. Two employees were assaulted and forced to open a cash safe. Gardner had just arrived in the parking lot towing a boat and remained in his vehicle when one of the suspects approached and fatally shot him.
District Attorney General Jason Lawson confirmed that McClean was arrested weeks later in Nashville and was in the U.S. on an expired temporary visa. The other two suspects remain at large, and authorities continue to investigate.
McClean now faces a mandatory life sentence for the murder conviction. A separate sentencing hearing will determine additional penalties for the aggravated robbery counts.
The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office is actively pursuing leads to locate the remaining suspects. A $15,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to their arrest and prosecution.
