GRENADA — The preliminary hearing for a Holcomb man charged with the stabbing death of a disabled former policeman and his live-in caretaker has been delayed until Dec. 17.
John Wayne McChristion, 22, of Holcomb, was arrested on Nov. 19 and charged with two counts of capital murder for allegedly killing Rev. Jimmy Stauddy, 69, and Martha Stoker, 49. Authorities said McChristion reportedly confessed to the murders.
Grenada court officials said the hearing was rescheduled due to a conflict with McChristion’s court-appointed attorney, Ray Baum of Winona in Montgomery County.
Stauddy, a former policeman and investigator, was found in his bed with multiple stab wounds on Sunday, Nov. 15, by his wife, Scottie, who had been shopping with family members. Stauddy’s caregiver, Stoker, was found on a floor nearby with similar stab wounds. Authorities said their throats and stomachs had been cut open. Stauddy was in the advanced stages of Parkinson’s Diseases and required a live-in caretaker.
Grenada County Sheriff Alton Strider said McChristion, a former employee at the Staddy home, admitted that he went to the house looking for money when he got into an argument with Stoker and Stauddy over $8 to buy drugs.
McChristion has a history of drug-related arrests in other states, but not in Mississippi, Sheriff Strider said.
If convicted, McChristion faces either life in prison or the death penalty.
Be the first to comment