Top Stories – Page 100 – The Mississippi Link

Woman pleads guilty in husband's cooking oil death

A Mississippi woman pleaded guilty to manslaughter Tuesday in the death of her husband, who died in 2006 after being doused with hot cooking oil.

Hancock County Circuit Court Clerk Karen Ruhr said Edna Mae Sanders, 52, is set for sentencing April 15 in the county’s Circuit Court. Manslaughter in Mississippi carries a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison, though judges have discretion in sentencing and she’s likely to get credit for time served.

Prosecutors said Sanders poured the oil on Sherman Sanders, 53, while he was asleep at their house in Diamondhead in south Mississippi on July 27, 2006. He died several days later. […]

Man charged with shooting girlfriend in the face after breakup

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A 25-year-old Corinth man is being held on a $350,000 bond after authorities said he allegedly shot his girlfriend in the face after they broke up. Demarlen O’Bryan Davis is being charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and homicide in the death of 22-year-old Karson Stewart.

Captain Ralph Dance, an investigator with the Corinth Police Department, said Davis was taken into custody shortly after the incident on March 26.

Dance said several 911 calls brought police to an unoccupied residence in the 600 block of Martin Luther King Drive. […]

Man gets 40 years for raping and robbing disabled woman

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A Vicksburg man may spend the next 60 years behind bars for raping a woman who suffers from multiple sclerosis and then stealing her television.

The Vicksburg Post reported that Eddie Lee Harris was sentenced by Warren County Circuit Judge M. James Chaney to 40 years in prison for rape and 20 years for burglary. The sentences are to run concurrently. Under Mississippi law, Harris must serve every day of his 40-year rape sentence before he is eligible for release.

Harris was convicted Feb. 27. […]

Bank sets $500 million loan fund for Miss. firms

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BancorpSouth is setting aside a $500 million loan fund aimed at Mississippi businesses, saying it will work with state officials to find qualified borrowers.

Gov. Phil Bryant appeared with BancorpSouth executives to laud the move on March 28. The officials spoke at the headquarters of C Spire Wireless, citing the eight-story office building as an example of a project made possible by cooperation between BancorpSouth and a state program.

“Ensuring that businesses have access to capital is a critical element in positioning Mississippi as the top spot for economic development,” Bryant said. “I applaud BancorpSouth for taking a leadership role in this new effort.” […]

5th Annual Safety Fair set for Saturday

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The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) and other Mississippians are planning for a fun and educational day at the 5thAnnual Safety Fair on Saturday, April 6. The event will be held at the Mississippi Trade Mart from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the fairgrounds in Jackson.

The Safety Fair is a free event that’s open to everyone.

Attendees will get a chance to participate in many activities that promote MDOT’s goal of improving the safety of motorists and pedestrians by educating children and parents about child passenger safety, the dangers of distracted driving, and occupant protection. Some of the attractions include the “Rover” safety rollover demonstration, impaired driving simulations (SIDNE) as well as the low-speed simulation of a head on collision, the “Convincer.” MDOT’s virtual texting and driving simulator will also return to the event. […]

Missing woman's body found in pond

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Meridian police said the body of a woman found in a pond has been identified as 34-year-old Jamie Wilkes, who was reported missing by family members on March 2.

Police Capt. Dean Harper said the property owner had been draining the pond and a passerby noticed something suspicious about 8 a.m. Wednesday. Harper said.

Wilkes’ remains were found at the bottom of the pond. He said the woman was identified by a family member. […]

Corinth Marine among those killed in murder-suicide at Quantico

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Funeral services are scheduled for 1 p.m. today for a Mississippi native and Marine corporal gunned down during a murder-suicide at the Quantico Marine Base in Virginia.

On Thursday, March 21, Cpl. Jacob Lee Wooley, 23, of Corinth, was pronounced dead at the scene after a shooting incident at Taylor Hall during Officer Candidates School (OCS) in Triangle, Virginia.

Wooley and 19-year-old Lance Cpl. Sara Castromata, of Oakley, Calif., were shot to death by fellow Marine and tactics instructor, 25-year-old Sgt. Eusebio Lopez. Lopez then shot himself. Officials at Quantico said all three Marines had been assigned to OCS and all three were pronounced at the scene. […]

Pastor indicted for sexual battery of child

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A 71-year-old Mississippi pastor has been indicted by a Tate County grand jury on 18 felony counts related to the sexual battery of a child.

Sheriff Brad Lance says in a news release that Larry Gene Singleton was on two counts of fondling, six counts of sexual battery and 10 counts of child pornography.

Singleton, the former pastor of Bay Springs Baptist Church in Abbeville, Miss., was arrested in December after sheriff’s investigators received a complaint from the victim, who accused Singleton of forcing him to have sex. […]

Murder-suicide confirmed in deaths of couple and child in Lee County

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A coroner has confirmed that two adults and a 13-year-old girl found shot to death in a home in Lee County Tuesday were the victims of a murder-suicide. The bodies of 55-year-old Wiley Young, 46-year-old Danica McCord and her daughter, Destiny McCord were discovered around 8:30 a.m. March 26.

Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson said an officer with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks arrived at the residence on County Road 49 and found the victims after efforts to contact them had failed.

Unconfirmed reports said the officer was Young’s adult son. […]

Escaped inmate found dead in jail cell

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An escaped Rankin County inmate was discovered dead in his jail cell one day after being found in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Officials with the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) said 27-year-old Bryan Owens was found hanging from his cell late Tuesday afternoon.

MDOC Spokesperson Tara Booth said officers were serving dinner when they found Owens hanging from a sheet in his cell.

Owens was housed alone, Booth said, and he was pronounced dead at 5:09 p.m.

Owens escaped on Sunday, March 24. […]