WINONA – Even before his sixth trial got underway Friday at the Montgomery County Courthouse, the drama surrounding Curtis Flowers had already begun. Flowers stands accused of the execution style murders of his former boss, Tardy Furniture Store owner Bertha Tardy, and three other employees, Carmen Rigby, Robert Golden and 16-year old Derrick Stewart.
Earlier this month, Flowers was reportedly moved from the jail in Vaiden to the Leflore County Correctional Facility due to a conflict with another inmate, Marcus Moore.
Moore is the son of Flowers’ girlfriend at the time of the murders, Connie Moore. Both Connie and Marcus are witnesses in the case.
Since 2005, Moore has reportedly been serving time at another jail on a sexual battery felony committed in Montgomery County.
Connie Moore has testified at previous trials that a pair of Fila Grant Hill tennis shoes found by police at the home she shared with Flowers in 1996, belonged to her then 12-year old son, Marcus, and not to Flowers. Witnesses testified they saw Flowers the morning of the murders wearing Fila Grant Hill tennis shoes.
During a motion hearing at the Montgomery County Courthouse last week, Flowers’ defense team argued that Marcus had been intimidated by another inmate while at the Vaiden jail to testify for the prosecution. That alleged inmate, Odell Hallmon, is also a witness in Flowers’ trial, and has previously testified that Flowers confessed to him, while in jail, that he had committed the murders.
Also, during the motion hearing, Judge Joseph H. Loper, Jr., refused to allow a Jackson Police Department official to testify as an expert witness on photo lineups, ruling she did not have any proven expertise in the field, but rather, had hands-on experience.
The first set of jurors for the sixth trial reported to the courthouse at 9 a.m., June 4, while the second set reported at 1 p.m.
Judge Loper handled the initial questioning of the witnesses on Friday and Monday with the prosecution and defense continuing the process on Tuesday.
Officials believe the jury selection process may take several days.
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