MS - Jessica Chambers, 19, Panola County, 6 Dec 2014 ; Quinton Tellis Indicted - #13

[rbarber17]

D.A. John Champion says that he is ready to try Quinton Verdell Tellis for the murder of Jessica Lane Chambers.

The Panolian
December 16, 2016
http://www.panolian.com/2016/12/16/champion-tells-como-rotary-hes-ready-to-try-tellis/

Thanks for that article, d4j. One part is troubling, which can be summarized by the DA's own words:

"They’re putting together our exhibits for us; we took them all our cell phone data. They’re going to chart everything out for us,” Champion said, including audio and video tapes.​

For the audio tapes, let's hope they are from either interviews or phone mail messages, and not actual cellphone conversations. Recall the multiple discussions on these Jessica Chambers threads about the use of Stingray technology. It runs the risk of violating 4th Amendment rights when used improperly. The Department of Justice issued guidelines to the FBI on use of this "secret" investigative tool only after Jessica's murder.

Regards,
Clouseau

 

[DeDee]

D.A. John Champion says that he is ready to try Quinton Verdell Tellis for the murder of Jessica Lane Chambers.

The Panolian
December 16, 2016
http://www.panolian.com/2016/12/16/champion-tells-como-rotary-hes-ready-to-try-tellis/

"District Attorney John Champion said Wednesday that he has filed an agreed order that will not challenge a defense motion for change of venue in the trial of Quinton Tellis for the December 6, 2014 murder of Jessica Chambers."

This murder was so heinous and horrendous that moving the trial only burdens the attorneys on both sides.

"... a Regional Organized Crime Information Center (ROCIC) meeting in Nashville which is assisting in evidence presentation for the trial."

Impressive.

 

[DeDee]

Thanks for that article, d4j. One part is troubling, which can be summarized by the DA's own words:

"They’re putting together our exhibits for us; we took them all our cell phone data. They’re going to chart everything out for us,” Champion said, including audio and video tapes.​

For the audio tapes, let's hope they are from either interviews or phone mail messages, and not actual cellphone conversations. Recall the multiple discussions on these Jessica Chambers threads about the use of Stingray technology. It runs the risk of violating 4th Amendment rights when used improperly. The Department of Justice issued guidelines to the FBI on use of this "secret" investigative tool only after Jessica's murder.

Regards,
Clouseau

RBBM

Inspector, there is no real fear in that concern, correct?

We do not know if Mississippi will seek the Death Penalty. Surely, the DAs would not risk the case on data that qualifies for appeals or erupts in a mistrial. DP draws an automatic appeal in MS. I'll be satisfied with Life Without Parole. There is a special confinement unit with his name on it, assuming his guilt.

What happened here required a depraved heart. QT sure possesses that 100%. QT is 27yo. If he lives to leave prison in MS, he'll face murder charges in LA where he'll remain imprisoned for the rest of his miserable natural life. What's more annoying is that QT was released from jail less than two months before he immolated this young lady in MS. Our legal system needs a repair kit.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/sto...rial-date-set-jessica-chambers-case/91690418/

JMHO My theory is that QT is captured on CCTV records in Batesville + with JC during the tight timeline. Hopefully, cell tower dumps contained incriminating data. I prefer a trial with rock solid evidence including copious photos and boards with graphs and experts. Surely, they've got him nailed.

Wonder what conclusive evidence the DA has that the perp was, in fact, QT? Who witnessed it? When and where did QT obtain the fuel? What fueled his anger? He scarcely knew JC. Right? It makes no sense.

The Judge could move the trial to the coastal area of Biloxi, Gulfport or Ocean Springs and make a mini-vacation out of the task since it is scheduled for the summer month of June.
:jail::moo:

 

[DeDee]

http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story...lling-jessica-chambers-arrives-in-mississippi

Justice for Jessica

 

[DexterMorgan]

I'm sure his friends wish that they turned him in for the 50k reward.

Now they are still broke plus most went to jail after the county decided to lock up gang members with the hopes that they would snitch on the killer for a lenient sentence.

Good grief. I guess they didn't need the money.

 

[DexterMorgan]

This woman has to serve 7 years out of a 10 year sentence for stealing $1,433?? I'm not saying that sentence is too long, but I see people commit much worse white collar crime and their sentences aren't even half of what hers is. I guess this is just another case that proves our justice system favors people with money.

Dang. Rapists get less years.

Why couldn't they just give her 1 year plus probation and fines.

Because the tax payers will now pay 20k a year just to keep her in jail and fed with medical coverage.

So even if they let her out in 3 years. Then the tax payers still have to cover 60k.

Btw. Who in the heck was her lawyers.

Never hire their cheeks. Lol

 

[rbarber17]

RBBM

Inspector, there is no real fear in that concern, correct?

We do not know if Mississippi will seek the Death Penalty. Surely, the DAs would not risk the case on data that qualifies for appeals or erupts in a mistrial. DP draws an automatic appeal in MS. I'll be satisfied with Life Without Parole. There is a special confinement unit with his name on it, assuming his guilt.

What happened here required a depraved heart. QT sure possesses that 100%. QT is 27yo. If he lives to leave prison in MS, he'll face murder charges in LA where he'll remain imprisoned for the rest of his miserable natural life. What's more annoying is that QT was released from jail less than two months before he immolated this young lady in MS. Our legal system needs a repair kit.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/sto...rial-date-set-jessica-chambers-case/91690418/

JMHO My theory is that QT is captured on CCTV records in Batesville + with JC during the tight timeline. Hopefully, cell tower dumps contained incriminating data. I prefer a trial with rock solid evidence including copious photos and boards with graphs and experts. Surely, they've got him nailed.

Wonder what conclusive evidence the DA has that the perp was, in fact, QT? Who witnessed it? When and where did QT obtain the fuel? What fueled his anger? He scarcely knew JC. Right? It makes no sense.

The Judge could move the trial to the coastal area of Biloxi, Gulfport or Ocean Springs and make a mini-vacation out of the task since it is scheduled for the summer month of June.
:jail::moo:

I do have a serious concern the Feds might have been in the area at the time of the murder and using such technology to catch drug traffickers. If so, hopefully it was being used with a warrant and in a legal configuration (as a pin register and disabled from intercepting actual conversations or text messages.)

I noticed Tellis had two lawyers at his plea hearing. I assume they were public defenders, and also assume the doubling up is because of the capital offense. I'm sure they will, like any good trial lawyers, be attempting to try everything under the sun except their client. One thing they will certainly be wanting to make a big deal out of is all the "false trails" the prosecution has already admitted to during the investigation. The prosecution will want to present its evidence against Tellis, but the defense will be wanting to present its own evidence against these straw men to create doubt. It will take a determined Judge to keep things on track.

I think as long as the DA's office was able to convince the Grand Jury without any "competition" present, they should be able to refine their presentation enough to convince the petit (trial) jury, even with objections flying right and left. I trust that a conviction is well within reach, especially for a seasoned veteran like Champion. Recall how he held out a long time before being convinced they finally had their man.

As for capital punishment following a conviction, I think it will be very difficult to get if the conviction is based completely on circumstantial evidence. Unless there was an eyewitness to the crime, I just don't see it happening. Two life sentences in two state prison systems is not much of a substitute, but I think it may have to do.

Please don't misconstrue my legal doubts with any sympathy for this animal. From what we know about this murder and the one in LA, the accused is not just a serial murderer, but one who delights in causing pain to his victims. If ever there was a case for suspending Constitutional protections, this one would get my vote. The guillotine would be far too merciful.

Best,
Jacques

 

[rbarber17]

Here is a brief historical snippet on the development of my country's preferred method of execution for centuries, up until 1970:

https://youtu.be/42CYEOi2QiQ

The last public execution in France was in 1939. After that all guillotine executions were conducted behind prison walls.

My purpose for bringing this up is the very real possibility that Quentin Tellis will be tried and convicted for the murder of Jessica Chambers, and the outside chance that the People of Mississippi will decide that he must forfeit his life as punishment. In today's world, that would almost assuredly mean death by lethal injection. Pretty easy way out compared to the hours of agony Jessica endured her last day alive. Quid pro quo? You must decide.

The U.S. Constituion strictly prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. But where does it say an execution must be painless? Is the torment a condemned prisoner experiences facing death by lethal injection the same as that experienced by one facing electrocution, or poison gas, or hanging, or a firing squad, or even beheading? If the punishment is to fit the crime, how humane does it have to be? Is the punishment more than an act of atonement, but also a preventative measure to warn others against committing such crimes? Or does it force a "devil may care" attitude on desperate criminals, they're going to kill me no matter what I do, so might as well take some of them with me?

Tough questions.

Adieu,
Clouseau

 

[roadrunnermt]

Has anyone been able to find any documents or requests about trial yet?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[DeDee]

:bump:

No, roadrunnermt. The DA has not even released so much as the 911 call. I am unaware of any evidence of the accused's presence at the CS that LEO has. I did not find out about this particular perp until he murdered a lady in LA. After a massive crime sweep of the Panola Co. area, they arrested about 16 or more folks. Maybe that was important, too.

Trial date has been set for June 19, 2017:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/local/suburbs/desoto/2016/10/18/june-trial-date-set-jessica-chambers-case/91690418/

Regards,
Clouseau

 

[rbarber17]

Has anyone been able to find any documents or requests about trial yet?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

I believe you must have an account with the DeSoto County circuit court for access, to the tune of $25 a month:

http://www.deltacomputersystems.com/MS/MS17/mclinkquerycr.html

Beep-Beep,
Clouseau
:facepalm::judge:

 

[DeDee]

http://www.desototimes.com/news/arr...cle_98d72ed4-db42-11e5-8e70-d346cbf5b058.html

Tellis faces justice in the killing, which involved Chambers literally being burned alive.

... a special grand jury in Panola that met Monday and Tuesday charged Tellis with capital murder of Chambers while "in the commission of the crime of third-degree arson."

Courtland, MS is located in Panola County. Panola County Criminal Records are $9.95.

https://countycriminal.integrascan.com/county_criminal/order_search.php?county=Panola&state=MS

Wonder what's in there? If it contains any data, then it's totally worth it. What about filing a Freedom of Information action to obtain records that aren't sealed?

 

[rbarber17]

Courtland, MS is located in Panola County. Panola County Criminal Records are $9.95.

https://countycriminal.integrascan.com/county_criminal/order_search.php?county=Panola&state=MS

Wonder what's in there? If it contains any data, then it's totally worth it. What about filing a Freedom of Information action to obtain records that aren't sealed?

Yowzers, DeDee. Even worse -- That on-line service has a $9.95 per use fee, whether for Panola or DeSoto County court records. I was assuming DeSoto since that is where the plea hearing was held, but who knows where the trial will actually wind up? I'll assume whichever Circuit Clerk is at the trial location is where the circuit court records will reside.

Frohe Weihnachten,
Insp. Jacques Clouseau
Sûreté
:christmastree:

https://courts.ms.gov/trialcourts/circuitcourt/circuitclerks.pdf

 

[roadrunnermt]

Thank you both for trying. I couldn't find anything either. With trial presumed for June, what is the timing of filing like witnesses and so forth I've seen released in other cases?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[rbarber17]

D.A. John Champion says that he is ready to try Quinton Verdell Tellis for the murder of Jessica Lane Chambers.

The Panolian
December 16, 2016
http://www.panolian.com/2016/12/16/champion-tells-como-rotary-hes-ready-to-try-tellis/

In re-reading this article, d4j, I finally noticed that the DA plans to respond to the defense's change of venue request not by changing the location of the trial, but by changing the make-up of the jury, to be selected from a pool outside of Panola County. So the trial itself will be in Batesville, since that is more convenient for those affected (witnesses, family members) than say a trial in Hernando in Desoto County, a 40-mile daily drive for everybody. I imagine Tellis will continue to be held in Destoto County, however, for his own safety.

Regards,
Clouseau

 

[PeterThomasFan]

Jessica Chambers’ Family Braces for Suspected Murderer’s Trial Two Years After She Was Burned Alive
POSTED ON DECEMBER 27, 2016 AT 2:27PM EST

Christmas is just not the same for Ben Chambers in the two years since his 19-year-old daughter, Jessica, was set on fire in her car on the side of the road in Courtland, Mississippi.

Ben got the horrific news on Dec. 6, 2014. He and Jessica’s stepmother, Debbie Chambers, were coming home from Christmas shopping when an ambulance “came flying past us,” Debbie tells PEOPLE.

<snipped by me>

Tellis, who is being held in the DeSoto County jail in Mississippi, is scheduled to go to trial on June 19 for Jessica’s murder.

[…]

 

[rbarber17]

Thought this antique map might be of interest. Panola County and surrounding sections of northern Mississippi were ceded to the U.S. by the Chickasaw Indians in 1832 and 1834:

https://bostonraremaps.com/inventory/rare-map-of-the-chickasaw-cession/

You can click on any part of the map to enlarge it, then click again to go back to the initial view. The names of the "new" counties were penciled in on the map at some point. Panola County (panola is the Indian word for cotton) is on the extreme western edge of the ceded territory, and DeSoto County where the plea hearing was held is just north of it, bordering Tennessee It would not surprise me if Jessica had some Native American blood in her ancestry. Most of us Southerners do (south of France, don't you know.).

Regards,
Clouseau

 

[d4j]

Happy 22nd birthday, Ms. Jessica Lane Chambers.

 

[PeterThomasFan]

Trial date moved from June to October 9.

One of the Attorney's daughters is sick and the judge agreed to move the trial date.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...ead***NO-DISCUSSION**&p=13143277#post13143277

 

[Roselvr]

Trial date moved from June to October 9.

One of the Attorney's daughters is sick and the judge agreed to move the trial date.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...ead***NO-DISCUSSION**&p=13143277#post13143277

Do they have the death penalty there? Right now he's still in county prison. I'd love to see him get the death penalty verses spending his life in a high security prison. Really wish we had an eye for an eye. Jessica's death has to be one of the worst ways to die. I hope he pays

Trial For Man Charged With Killing Jessica Chambers Delayed - By: Tish Clark - Posted: Feb 13, 2017 05:30 PM CST - Updated: Feb 13, 2017 10:39 PM CST

"You can't hurry up in a case like this,&#8221; says Sheriff Darby. &#8220;I am not a politician. I have a political position, but I'm not a politician. So, we do it in a manner in which is done right. Fair to every side. This is my county. It's personal to me that's the reason I considered the position of sheriff. We take care of the good, the bad, and the ugly here too. We don't show any partiality to anybody. It's gotta be fair. It's gotta be honest. It's gotta be reasonable."

Darby has said since the beginning; this case is personal to him. "It has been personal. Knowing a young lady as I did and seeing her around this county and not being here now under the circumstances, you know you've got to put forth every effort. It's getting long. It gets hard, but that's when the good policing comes out."

Another status hearing will be held June 19th in Batesville to discuss where the trial will be held, and how the jury will be chosen.