Pearl Woman Pleads Guilty to Capital Murder of Infant Daughter
Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Bubba Bramlett, announced that Makaylia Shaylynn Jolley, 21 of Pearl, was sentenced to life in the State Penitentiary without parole for the capital murder of her two (2) month old daughter.
The afternoon of May 12, 2022, is a day that bystanders and others on North Bierdeman Road in Pearl, MS will never forget. Pearl Police Department received several 911 calls about a woman grabbing a baby by the ankles and slamming the child onto the concrete multiple times. When law enforcement arrived, they learned that Makaylia Jolley slammed the baby down and left her lying in the road. The baby was Khalysie Lashay Jolley, Makaylia’s two (2) month old daughter. After throwing Khalysie down, Jolley ran off into some nearby woods where she was later taken into custody.
Khalysie was transported to Blair E. Batson where she lived for a few days but unfortunatley died from her injuries on Saturday, May 14, 2022. Khalysie sustained extensive skull fractures, brain swelling, abrasions, hemorrhages to her eyes, a right elbow fracture, left thumb fracture, and brain bleeding. Khalysie’s cause of death was homicide as a result of blunt force injuries to the head.
Makaylia Jolley was taken for medical treatment and evaluation at UMMC prior to being released to the Pearl Police Department. During her interview, Jolley stated that she hurt her baby and she didn’t know why she did it, but it was an accident. There were several eyewitnesses to the abuse and killing by Jolley. Additionally, Jolley’s family members were interviewed about the time leading up to the crime and what they witnessed.
On November 17, 2022, a Rankin County Grand Jury indicted Jolley for Capital Murder. This was based upon the killing of Khalysie while in the commission of the felony crime of child abuse. On May 15, 2023, at the court’s settlement conference, the Madison and Rankin County District Attorney’s office, announced that the State of Mississippi would seek the death penalty at a trial.
Jolley underwent a mental evaluation. On September 13, 2023, a report on the mental evaluation was submitted to the Court, which stated that Jolley was competent to stand trial. On October 31, 2023, the Rankin County District Attorney’s Office sent a plea offer to Jolley allowing her to plead guilty to Capital Murder and be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole rather than to proceed to trial wherein the State would seek the death penalty. Jolley was given a deadline of Friday, November 3, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. to file a guilty plea petition and on Friday, she filed that petition.
On November 6, 2023, Jolley, who was represented by Rankin County Public Defenders and the Office of the State Public Defender, appeared before Judge Steve Ratcliff to plea guilty. Prior to accepting the guilty plea, the defense and the State presented the mental evaluation report and an agreed order finding Jolley competent to stand trial. Following the competency hearing, a stoic Jolley pleaded guilty to capital murder for the abuse and killing of her daughter Khalysie Jolley.
District Attorney Bramlett stated, “This is an unexplainable and heinous crime against an innocent child. My office thanks the witnesses, the EMTs, the medical providers at Blair E. Batson and the Mississippi Children’s Safe Center, the Pearl Police Department and the Pearl Fire Department for their work on this case. Those men and women will forever be affected by what they saw on May 12, 2022. The very woman who was supposed to love and support Khlaysie is the one who chose drugs over her children and caused Khlaysie’s death. Makaylia Jolley will die in prison where she belongs for committing these crimes against her daughter.”
Defendant:
Name: Makaylia Shaylynn Jolley
Date of Birth: 05/10/2002
