Justice

Drag Racing and Stopping Traffic: City Adds Vehicle Towing Penalty for First Offense

Anyone who participates in drag racing in the Jackson city limits risks officials towing their vehicle, in addition to possible fines and jail time, a new ordinance indicates.

Mississippi Teen Fatally Shot Hours After Graduation

Kennedy Hobbs was shot three times at a Texaco gas station in Jackson, hours after her graduation ceremony at Murrah High School. She died at the scene just before 11 p.m., Jackson Police Department spokesman Sam Brown said.

Violence in the City: Victims’ Families Seek Closure, Police Respect

Radio silence from local law enforcement is a common and historic complaint the Jackson Free Press has long heard from family members who lose their loved ones to gun violence in Jackson.

Lobbyist, Lawyer Accused of Role in $85M Lumber Ponzi Scheme

Two men were indicted this week by a federal grand jury in Mississippi, accused of taking part in an $85 million Ponzi scheme involving a fictitious lumber company, a prosecutor says.

‘They Murdered My Brother’: Judge Drops Murder Charges Against JPD Officers

Desmond Barney and Lincoln Lampley, two Jackson police officers indicted for 62-year-old George Robinson's death, walked free on Thursday, May 20, after Hinds County Circuit Judge E. Faye Peterson rendered a directed verdict in the case.

Mother Died in Madison County Jail After Pot Arrest, Family Sues for Negligence

Attorney Derek Sells of Cochran Firm accused those who run Madison County Detention Center of being in the practice of ignoring "serious medical conditions of inmates and just leaving them to die.”

Mississippi Court Upholds Life Sentence for Pot Possession

The Mississippi Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld a life sentence for a man convicted of a marijuana possession charge because he had previous convictions and those made him a habitual offender.

Activists Demand Answers After Black Baby Killed in Shootout

Officials have not yet said who is responsible for the shot that killed a 3-month-old baby when his father died in a shootout with police on a highway last week in Mississippi.

‘Rebel’ Businessman Dumps Suburban Waste into Jackson Sewage System

Andrew Walker, 71, may find himself in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring with others to wrongfully discharge 3 million gallons of industrial waste between December 2016 and October 2017 into the Jackson sewage system, court filings say.

Group Links Parole Reforms To Economic Development

Expanding parole eligibility in Mississippi comes with economic benefits, Rounds Consulting Group Inc. said in a March 2021 report. Currently, those incarcerated in Mississippi cost the state $14,600 per year in prison, the report pointed out.

Analysis: Watchdog Gives Bleak Report on Mississippi Prisons

Bloody clashes that brought Mississippi's prison system under federal scrutiny last year were part of a dramatic increase in reported cases of violence behind bars.

Parole Reform Law Brings New Chance For Thousands, But Not Habitual Offenders

Thousands of incarcerated Mississippians will soon become eligible for a parole hearing after Gov. Tate Reeves signed the “Mississippi Earned Parole Eligibility Act” into law this Thursday.

High Court Moves Away from Leniency for Minors Who Murder

After more than a decade in which the Supreme Court moved gradually toward more leniency for minors convicted of murder, the justices on Thursday moved the other way.

Ex-Cop Guilty of Murder and Manslaughter in Floyd Case

Former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted Tuesday of murder and manslaughter for pinning George Floyd to the pavement with his knee on the Black man’s neck in a case that touched off worldwide protests.

After 16 Months Awaiting Trial, Suspect Found Hanging in Hinds County Jail

Justin Mosley, 21, a suspect found hanging on Sunday in his Raymond Detention Center cell, has been awaiting trial for 16 months, Capt. Tyree D. Jones, the sheriff's public information officer, told the Jackson Free Press Monday.

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