MADISON AND RANKIN NAMED TOP MISSISSIPPI DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE

Rankin & Madison, MS - 

The District Attorney’s Office for Madison and Rankin counties was recently named the Top District Attorney’s Office in the State of Mississippi at the 2023 Sex Offender Registry Conference, sponsored by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the Mississippi Highway Patrol.  Pictured with the award is Bubba Bramlett, District Attorney for Madison and Rankin counties.

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Brandon Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Battery Against a Minor

Rankin, MS - Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced that Gino Giovanni Giammarco, 50, of Brandon was sentenced to twenty-five years for sexual battery involving a minor child. 

Giammarco will be required to serve 20 years, day-for-day of his sentence in prison, without the possibility of parole or early release. He will then be placed on supervised probation for 5 years. He must register as a sex offender and will have no contact with his victim. 

On October 10, 2022, the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department received a call from a local hospital that a juvenile patient was there to be examined. The victim reported being previously sexually assaulted by the defendant. The Rankin County Sheriff’s Department sent a deputy to the hospital to gather information and obtain evidence. The victim had a forensic interview at the Parker Children’s Center, a child-friendly setting where the child can safely tell their story with professionals trained to interview children in a nonleading manner. 

The Rankin County Sheriff’s Department interviewed witnesses, reviewed phone records and text messages, and interviewed the defendant. Giammarco confessed to committing some of the crimes. Based on the investigation, the defendant was charged with multiple sex crimes against the same victim during the summer of 2022. 

In addition to the charge of sexual battery, Giammarco faced three other charges. On September 25, 2023, the morning of trial, rather than proceeding on all the charges, Giammarco pled guilty to the one count of sexual battery and was sentenced to 25 years for a sex crime involving a minor. 

“Thank you to the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, the Parker Children’s Center, and the local hospital for reporting and conducting a thorough investigation that led to getting this sex offender off our streets,” stated District Attorney Bramlett. “This is a great example of why mandatory reporting is necessary and helps victims. I am glad our office, with the help of others, was able to provide some justice for this victim.” 

Defendant: 

Name: Gino Giovanni Giammarco 

Date of Birth: 06/06/1974 

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Man Pleads Guilty to Natchez Trace Drunk Driving Accident that Left Four Injured

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced today that Ne’Tron Lambert, 25, of New Iberia, Louisiana pled guilty to two counts of Aggravated Driving Under the Influence Causing Injuries and was sentenced to serve fifteen years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections by Judge Steve Ratcliff in Madison County Circuit Court. 

On March 12, 2022, law enforcement officers with the National Park Service were called to the scene of a two car accident on the Natchez Trace Parkway. Investigators were able to determine that the car driven by Lambert had been traveling in the wrong lane and hit another vehicle head on. Lambert, his three passengers, and the driver of the other vehicle all suffered significant injuries as a result of the wreck. Everyone was taken to UMC with one individual being airlifted from the scene. Officers were able to obtain toxicology results from a blood draw showing Lambert was under the influence of both alcohol and marijuana at the time of the accident. Investigators spoke with Lambert’s passengers, and they confirmed that they had been drinking and smoking marijuana for several hours before they left a party at approximately 4:45 a.m. Accident reconstruction reports indicated Lambert was traveling 89 MPH when he hit the other car head on. 

With the approval of all four victims, Lambert was allowed to plead guilty to two counts of aggravated DUI. He was sentenced to fifteen years on each count with that time to run concurrently. 

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett stated, “This is the prime example of just how dangerous it is to drink and smoke marijuana and then get behind the wheel of a car. Ne’Tron Lambert changed the course of five lives that morning when he elected to drive under the influence and ended up driving on the wrong side of the Natchez Trace. It was truly a miracle no one died in such a serious accident. I hope this case is a lesson to all individuals that if you choose to drink and drive on the roadways of Madison and Rankin County, you need to be prepared. You will go to prison for a long time if people are hurt or killed as a result of your decisions.” 

Defendant: 

Name: Ne’Tron Lambert 

Date of Birth: 10/08/1997 

Former Richland Music Teacher and Preacher Convicted of Sex Crimes

Rankin, MS - District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced today that Samuel Lamar Taylor, 52, was convicted by a Rankin County jury on September 20, 2023, of one count of sexual battery and one count of gratification of lust. Taylor served as a music teacher for over 25 years at schools across Mississippi, retiring from Richland Upper Elementary School in 2020. Taylor was also a minister at several churches throughout Rankin County, dating back to the 1980s.

Judge Dewey Arthur will sentence Taylor on November 13, 2023. Taylor faces life imprisonment for the sexual battery and a maximum sentence of 15 years for the gratification of lust. Any sentence will be served day-for-day without the possibility of parole or early release.

On August 23, 2022, the Richland Police Department received a call from Richland Upper Elementary School concerning an 11-year-old autistic child disclosing sexual abuse to his Region 8 counselor. The child identified Taylor, his legal guardian at the time, and gave specific details regarding different instances of abuse perpetrated by Taylor at his home in Richland. 

Due to the quick actions of Region 8, Richland Upper Elementary School, and Richland PD, the child was immediately removed from Taylor’s custody, and a forensic interview was conducted with the child the next day. During his interview, the child recounted, in detail, the sexual abuse he endured from Taylor from 2020-2022.

During the investigation, authorities located and interviewed at least one other victim who alleged Taylor abused him from 1990-91 when Taylor worked as a counselor at the YMCA on Flowers Dr. in Jackson.

“I want to commend the faculty and staff at Richland Upper Elementary School, the Community Support Specialist with Region 8, the Parker Children’s Center, and the Richland Police Department,” stated District Attorney Bramlett. “Because of this brave child victim and each of these agencies, Sam Taylor’s 30-year-old secret was finally brought to light. While these acts are ones no person should ever endure, especially a child, we hope this conviction brings closure to the victim, his family, and any other victim Taylor’s actions affected.” 

Defendant: 

Name: Samuel Lamar Taylor

Date of Birth: 12/30/1970

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Former Old Town Middle School Coach Convicted of Sexual Battery

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced today that Marchenne Nyree Hatchett, 46, was convicted by a Madison County jury of one count of sexual battery. Hatchett was a coach and teacher at Old Town Middle School in Ridgeland, and his victim was his student. 

On February 23, 2023, Hatchett engaged in sexual contact with a then fourteen-year-old female student while they were in school. The child’s mother became aware of the allegation and notified school personnel approximately one week after the incident. Officials with the school were able to pull video surveillance from the school that confirmed Hatchett and his victim were outside of the classroom during class time which corroborated the victim’s time line of events. 

School officials turned the surveillance tapes over to the Ridgeland Police Department after confirming with the victim as to what had occurred. The student disclosed that the contact had only occurred one time while she was in the former teacher’s class. 

The case was indicted by a Madison County grand jury in May for a single count of sexual battery and proceeded to trial Monday, September 18. After hearing testimony from both the victim and school personnel, the jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty. Hatchett will be sentenced November 13, 2023, by Judge Steve Ratcliff. 

Defendant: 

Name: Marchenne Hatchett 

Date of Birth: 01/27/1977 

Canton Men Sentenced for Roles in Murder for Hire Plot that Led to Highland Colony Shootout

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced today that three Canton men have been convicted for their part in a murder for hire plot that ended in a shootout on Highland Colony Parkway at the Renaissance roundabout. Dondre Blackmon and Corrie Ollie were both convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and each sentenced to serve 20 years in custody—the maximum sentence allowed by law. Corrie Ollie also pled to felon in possession of a firearm and received an additional five years on that charge. Finally, Xavious Johnson pled guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced to the maximum of twenty years to serve. 

On November 4, 2021, law enforcement officers were called to the area of Highland Colony and Old Agency Road in reference to what witnesses described as two cars traveling north on Highland Colony shooting at one another. Law enforcement found one of the vehicles involved on the shoulder of I55 southbound. Anterrion Robinson, LaChristopher Smith, and Tyrone Lewis were outside the car between the ditch and a wood line. Lewis had been shot in the arm. Ridgeland Police Department officers rendered life-saving aid to Lewis on scene. 

Through a months-long investigation, officers were able to determine that the shooting had stemmed from a murder for hire plot. Local businessman, Dondre Blackmon, had contracted with Corrie Ollie for Ollie to murder Lewis for $20,000. He paid Ollie $5,000 as a down payment on the hit. Ollie and Xavious Johnson used social media to track down Lewis at Walk-On’s restaurant in Ridgeland. Then, when Lewis left with Robinson and Smith, Corey Ollie and Xavious Johnson followed them. While heading towards I-55, Ollie drove and Johnson shot into the car driven by Lewis. Lewis returned fire and the two cars exchanged gunfire as they went through the roundabout and merged onto the interstate in Ridgeland. Lewis was the only person struck. 

All parties involved were from Canton and authorities determined that this was the connection between Blackmon and Lewis. Sources indicated that Blackmon was angry with Lewis over a business deal that had gone wrong, and Lewis had refused to pay Blackmon back. 

District Attorney Bramlett stated, “If not for the quick thinking and life saving measures provided by the officers of Ridgeland Police Department, Tyrone Lewis would have died. This is unacceptable behavior on so many levels. First, people cannot simply pay money to have other humans murdered. This is just as bad as pulling the trigger yourself. Second, it is a wonder and a miracle that no one else was hit, hurt, or killed by the reckless actions of these individuals. Opening fire on a moving car while driving up Highland Colony Parkway and then onto I-55 is so incredibly reckless and dangerous. I hope these sentences send a message to others that we will not tolerate this type of violence in Madison and Rankin counties.” 

Defendant: 

Name: Dondre Blackmon 

Date of Birth: 09/03/1995 

Conspiracy to Commit Murder, 20 years to serve in the MDOC 

Defendant: 

Name: Corrie Ollie 

Date of Birth: 05/14/1987 

Conspiracy to Commit Murder, 20 years to serve in the MDOC 

Felon in Possession of a Firearm, 5 years to serve in the MDOC 

Defendant: 

Name: Xavious Johnson 

Date of Birth: 03/03/1994 

Aggravated Assault, 20 years to serve in the MDOC 

Madison County Man Sentenced to Twenty-Five Years Following July 29 Standoff in Cypress Lake Subdivision

On the morning of July 29, 2023, law enforcement officials were dispatched to Cypress Lake subdivision in Madison, Mississippi. Reports of a man assaulting a woman outside of a residence were confirmed upon the officer’s arrival. The female victim had clearly been beaten, suffering multiple and serious injuries. 

Brandon Bly had administered the beating and officers began attempts to contact Bly while rendering medical aid to the victim. Bly had barricaded himself, along with Bly’s four-year-old nephew, inside the residence to which officers had responded. Bly refused to cooperate for approximately three hours, after which he was taken into custody without further incident. The four-year-old child was unharmed during the standoff. 

Thirteen (13) days later, on August 11, 2023, the District Attorney’s Office brought Brandon Bly before Circuit Judge Dewey Arthur on a revocation hearing and guilty plea to a Bill of Information. Bly was sentenced to thirteen years for violating the terms of his probation for a previous house burglary conviction, and twelve years to serve consecutively for the July 29 aggravated domestic violence charge. This resulted in a total of twenty-five years to serve in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. 

“Our office commends the quick, professional and coordinated response of the Madison Police Department, the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, and the Ridgeland Police Department to this violent and volatile crime scene,” stated District Attorney Bubba Bramlett. “They brought about a peaceful resolution without further incident.” 

“Mr. Bly is a familiar face to the Madison County criminal justice system,” Bramlett continued. “While only twenty-six years old, he has been to prison before, and the thirteen years that were hanging over his head were basically putting the ball in his court to do right. He didn’t, and he ended up back in our court. He will now serve those thirteen years and then serve an additional twelve years for this most recent incident.” 

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Defendant: 

Name: Brandon Bly 

Date of Birth: 03/10/1997 

MDOC Escapee Sentenced to 40 Years in State Prison

Rankin, MS - Madison and Rankin Counties' District Attorney Bubba Bramlett has announced that convicted felon Shunekndrick Huffman, who escaped the Mississippi Department of Corrections in August 2022, pled guilty to two counts of kidnapping. Circuit Court Judge Steve Ratcliff sentenced Huffman to 60 years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with 40 of those years to be served in the state prison. 

On August 25, 2022, Huffman escaped from the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl, MS, where he was serving a seven-year sentence for aggravated assault and was scheduled to be released in December. Huffman escaped on foot and broke into a nearby home, holding the homeowner and two daughters at gunpoint for hours. Huffman then stole one of the hostages’ cars before wrecking and taking off on foot toward the nearby Mississippi State Hospital campus. Over a hundred local law enforcement officials surrounded the area, and Huffman was quickly apprehended after being found hiding inside a trash can near one of the campus homes. 

Huffman was sentenced to 30 years, with 20 years being served and the last ten suspended for one count of kidnapping. He was also sentenced to an additional 30 years, with 20 years being served and the last ten suspended for another count of kidnapping. Upon release, Huffman will be placed on five years of supervised probation. Both sentences are to run consecutive to one another. 

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett stated, “The excellent and efficient work and cooperation of MDOC officials, state officials, the Pearl Police Department, Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, and other agencies involved in this tense manhunt led to the successful apprehension of this escaped convict.” 

Defendant: 

Name: Shunekndrick Huffman 

Date of Birth: 09/09/2001 

Scott County Duo Plead Guilty to Murdering a Man in Rankin County

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced today that Jeffrey Allen Freeman and Madison Nicole Hardin pled guilty in Rankin County Circuit Court to their involvement in the 2022 stabbing death of Keair Stowers, a 22-year-old resident of Forest, Mississippi. Both Freeman and Hardin are originally from Morton. Freeman, 24, pled guilty to First Degree Murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Hardin, who was 17 at the time of the crime, pled guilty to Second Degree Murder and was sentenced to thirty years in prison. 

On April 23, 2022, Keair Stower’s body was found in a shallow ditch near the Rankin-Scott County line. He had been stabbed multiple times. Officers from the Rankin and Scott County Sheriff’s Departments quickly ascertained that the victim’s 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche was missing and in Franklin County. Pursuant to a BOLO, Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies along with a Mississippi Highway Patrol trooper stopped the truck which was occupied by both Freeman and Hardin. Inside the Stower’s truck was a rifle, which Freeman later admitted he used to strike the victim. Investigators obtained DNA evidence which linked the defendants to the crime as well as Facebook and other electronic messages which revealed Hardin had befriended Stowers and then lured him to a location with the intent to steal his truck. 

District Attorney Bramlett commends the hard work and cooperation of the law enforcement officers of Franklin, Scott, and Rankin Counties, MHP, and the analysts of the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory. “The quick apprehension of both suspects and the thorough investigation resulted in convictions of these defendants in a just over a year. While Keair Stowers was beloved by his family and community, it is my sincere hope that this swift justice has at least provided some comfort for the victim’s family who have endured a tremendous loss in a truly senseless tragedy.” 

Defendants: 

Name: Jeffery Allen Freeman 

Date of Birth: 02/07/1999 

Name: Madison Nicole Hardin 

Date of Birth: 02/21/2005 

Canton Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Murder of Monroe County Woman

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced today that Broderick Giles, 34, pled guilty to one count of attempted murder and was sentenced to serve twenty years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections without the possibility of early release or parole. 

On June 25, 2022, Malissa and Derik Wood, of Hamilton, Mississippi, stopped in Canton at the LaQuinta Inn in an attempt to rent a room for the night. While Derik was at the front desk, Giles approached their vehicle and tried to steal their car. He shot through the front window of the car and the bullet hit Mrs. Wood in her side. Officers with the Canton Police Department responded to the crime scene and were able to obtain spent shell casings, surveillance tapes, and eyewitness statements of others who were nearby during the attack. 

On July 5, 2022 officers made a routine traffic stop on a car in which Giles was riding. He was in possession of a firearm that was consistent with shell casings recovered from the crime scene. Ballistics comparisons confirmed that this was the same gun Giles used on June 25. Giles was arrested and eventually pled guilty to the attempted murder of Malissa Woods. He will not qualify for early release or parole because he is considered a habitual offender based on his prior felony convictions of business burglary and grand larceny. 

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett stated, “This couple was simply looking for a place to stay the night while on the road, and Mrs. Woods almost gave her life for it. That is unacceptable in Madison and Rankin Counties, and I hope this conviction will send that message. Broderick Giles did not show one ounce of concern for Mrs. Wood’s life, and he deserves to spend the next twenty years in prison without the possibility of parole.” 

Defendant: 

Name: Broderick Giles 

Date of Birth: 08/12/1988 

SERIAL RAPIST CONVICTED USING FORENSIC GENETIC GENEALOGY

On August 12, 1990, “Jane” was working the late shift as a waitress at the Western Sizzlin in Flowood. Jane later said she took the job because she was new in the area and wanted to meet as many people as possible. 

Once off work, she talked with a few coworkers in the parking lot. One of these coworkers was interested in purchasing the Dodge van. Jane and her coworkers all got in the van and looked around. After congregating for a few minutes, the group separated, and Jane got into her van to go home.  She followed a coworker the short distance to the downtown exit in Brandon. 

Jane’s van

Just a half-mile from her home, Jane stopped at the Texaco to get her children some cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  Jane’s co-worker honked a final goodbye as she continued to her home.  Jane went inside to make her purchase and noticed the windows in the gas station were fogged because of the humidity. She noticed a man near the pay phone to her right and a family with car problems to her left.

Photo of Texaco

Jane was only inside for a few minutes.  She got back in her van and started the quick trip home. After driving a short distance, a shadow emerged in her rear-view mirror. This, however, was no shadow but a man wielding a knife. This man rushed her and quickly put his knife to her neck. This knife caused a cut to her neck.  He shouted that she stop the van.  He reached up and put the van into park.  He commanded her to get on the vehicle's floorboard and not look at him.  All the while, this man kept a knife at her neck.  She complied, and he drove the van to a rural area in the county.  Once at this location, he parked the van and forced Jane to strip off her clothing.  This man then forcibly raped Jane at knifepoint.

Inside of van

  Once he was finished, the attacker made her cover her face as they left the area.  He drove back to what she would later discover was the Exit 56 onramp headed west.  She told the authorities he rummaged through her belongings.  She reported to the police that she was missing $40 and some Western Sizzlin name cards. He instructed her not to call the police. He told her if she called the police, he would come to her home and harm her family.  The attacker left her and slithered into the darkness to make his getaway.  

Jane drove the van onto the interstate and quickly realized she was headed west towards the Crossgates Brandon exit.  She made her way back home, at which point she called for an ambulance.  Once at Rankin General Hospital, she was subjected to a rape examination. Investigator Don Magee came to the hospital early that morning to collect the evidence from the rape examination. 

Investigator Magee thoroughly investigated the case.  He took photos of the van and canvased the nearby area.  He looked at other potential suspects. He took Jane for hypnosis to try and help her remember further details of the rape.  He faxed reports across the nation to other agencies looking for similar crimes. The crime went cold until they received a letter from Rubin Weeks.  

Weeks from approximately 1991

Weeks was doing time in Missouri for similar crimes.  Weeks claimed to have committed the crimes against Jane.  Despite his letter, Brandon Police Department was skeptical of the confession.  Nevertheless, Weeks was interviewed by Investigator Magee.  The details provided did not match the facts of the crime.  Nevertheless, Investigator Magee collected evidence from the sexual assault examination as well as evidence from Rubin Weeks.  That evidence was sent to the crime lab, and though Weeks was not a match, he could not be ruled out.  

Meanwhile, Jane continued to try to recover from this crime.  Her husband was also having trouble dealing with the crime.  Overcome with guilt from being unable to protect Jane, he tried to take his own life but was unsuccessful. He was left as a quadriplegic and later died of those injuries.  Jane was left with several small children to raise on her own.  Despite law enforcement’s best efforts, the case went cold. 

David Ruth is the current Rankin County Coroner.  However, in 1990 David was a patrol officer with Brandon Police Department. David was not working the night of Jane’s rape, but he became aware of this crime the next day.  This type of thing didn’t happen in Brandon in 1990.  

David Ruth early in his career

In 2004, David progressed in his career and was an investigator with Brandon PD.  This case had always bothered David. So, when David became an investigator, he decided to reopen the case.  After a thorough review of the file and the evidence, Ruth was also convinced that Weeks did not commit the crimes. By 2004, DNA had progressed and was used in many cases to help solve crimes.  As a result, David sent the evidence collected from Jane and Weeks to the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory for comparison.  

In 2004, the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory contracted with Reliagene in New Orleans, Louisiana to perform some of their DNA testing.  Through two different tests in 2005 and 2006, Weeks was eliminated as a suspect using DNA analysis.  There was however an unknown DNA profile developed.  This unknown DNA profile not (Rubin Weeks) was the person that raped Jane.  This DNA profile was sent to the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory and was uploaded to CODIS (Combined Organized DNA Index System). 

The case went cold until 2017. That was until Deedra Hughes, a DNA Analyst and CODIS administrator with the Mississippi Forensic Laboratory, was notified that the DNA profile in Jane’s case matched a case in Memphis, Tennessee.  Though the match in Tennessee didn’t happen until 2017, the crime in Memphis occurred just 30 days after the crime in Brandon.  

Annette Cotton, an investigator with the cold case unit with the Shelby County Tennessee Sheriff’s Department, contacted Beau Edgington with the Brandon Police Department to compare details of the crime.  In the Memphis case, “Kim” got off work after a late shift at a local Memphis Hospital.  She stopped her SUV at a local convenience store to grab a quick snack before heading home.  She made her purchase and returned to her SUV to drive the rest of the way home. As she began to pull out of the parking lot, a man in the back seat sprung from behind her and sliced open her face. He then put the knife to her neck and forced her to the passenger seat.  He then instructed Kim not to look at him.  Instinctively she glanced over, and in return, he struck her already injured face. 

He drove Kim to a remote area and stopped the car on the interstate. He made her take off her clothing.  He then forcibly raped Kim by knifepoint. He covered her face and then drove back to the interstate. He then robbed her. Before leaving, he looked at her license and threatened her. He told her that if she called the police, he would come to her home and harm her family.  Finally, he took her keys and threw them into the darkness. She locked the car after he exited.  At some point, she went to get the keys and inadvertently locked herself out of the vehicle.  This left Kim naked on the interstate in the middle of the night.  Several truckers stopped and helped her to the hospital.  Once at the hospital, she was given a sexual assault examination.  The evidence from this examination stayed dormant until 2016, when Shelby County, Tennessee, processed and uploaded the evidence to CODIS along with other cold cases.  

The case went cold again until 2020.  By 2020, David Ruth had left the Brandon Police Department and was working with the Rankin County District Attorney’s Office as a part-time investigator.  He was also the Rankin County Coroner. 

David had repeatedly told the prosecutors in the District Attorney’s office about Jane’s case. Assistant District Attorney Ryan Berry previously read several books about the Golden State Killer (GSK) and how investigators in California used Forensic Genetic Genealogy to capture him.  In 2021, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office conducted a seminar in Oxford featuring former California district attorney Greg Toten.  Toten gave examples of how they caught the GSK.  Berry left there believing investigators could solve the case using genetic genealogy. Berry and Ruth pitched this idea to District Attorney John K. Bramlett. He agreed to fund this pricey endeavor.  Berry and Ruth then contacted the Brandon Police Department evidence custodian, Mark Miller, to locate the evidence that had been lying dormant in the secure vault for so many years. 

 After locating the evidence, the Rankin County District Attorney’s Office contacted Deedra Hughes with the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory about how to proceed with further testing.  She recommended a company called Bode Technology.  Bode Technology is a private DNA laboratory that provides Investigative Genetic Genealogy services.  Teresa Vreeland is the Director of the Forensic Genealogy division of Bode and helped the Rankin District Attorney’s Office with this process.  David Ruth sent Bode the evidence in order to develop another DNA profile of the suspect.  Once the suspect’s DNA profile was developed from the evidence swabs, that profile was uploaded to find genealogical matches.  This is similar to the process used by websites like ancestry.com and 23andme.com. After a long and exhaustive process of reconstructing family trees using birth, death, and marriage records from across the county, Bode worked backward to build the suspect's family tree.  

In 2023, Bode was able to focus these matches and determined the perpetrator of this crime was either Skaggs or one of his two brothers.  In 2023, Daniel Ray Skaggs was a resident of Oklahoma.  Daniel Ray Skaggs’ background was investigated, and it was discovered that he had been charged and convicted of several counts of rape in 1977 in the Dallas, Texas area.  In these rapes, he broke into young women’s apartments and ambushed them. Once inside their homes, he would forcibly rape them. He was convicted of rape and burglary, and he served approximately eight years in a Texas prison.  Once released, he moved to Arkansas, where he became a truck driver for Meyers Bread Company, making deliveries across the country.  

Photo from Texas Dept. of Corrections (1977)

The Rankin District Attorney’s office also learned that in 1991 in Newnan, Georgia, Skaggs abducted another woman after she left Walmart. Tate Washington, an officer in Newnan, noticed a suspicious man in a vehicle and attempted to make an investigatory stop.  “Cindy” jumped out of the van and was yelling, “knife”.  Cindy ran to this officer for safety.  Officer Washington attempted to stop this person and was almost struck by the abductor. The person was eventually stopped and was identified as Daniel Ray Skaggs. Cindy was a native of Germany and left the country before Skaggs could be tried for the kidnapping and attempted rape.  Skaggs was acquitted on charges of assault on an officer and presumably returned to Arkansas.

Photo from Skaggs arrest in Newnan Georgia (1991)

After learning of Skaggs's criminal history, the Rankin County District Attorney’s Office contacted the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigations.  Agent Josh Dean was assigned to assist with the investigation of this case. Agent Dean surveilled Skaggs and was able to collect discarded items in the trash, including a C-PAP mask and a pill bottle with the name Daniel Ray Skaggs printed on the label. 

Items of trash collected from Skaggs’s residence

 Dean sent these items of trash to Bode Technology to see if they could develop a DNA profile of Skaggs. This profile of Skaggs was developed and compared to the 2005 Reliagene DNA report.  The results were staggering.  Skaggs’ DNA was a match, with a statistical probability being 1 in 660 quintillion.  

With the DNA test results in hand, Assistant District Attorneys Kathryn Newman and Ryan Berry and the Victim’s Assistance Coordinator Leslie Owens from the Rankin County District Attorney’s Office traveled to South Carolina to inform Jane of the updates in her case. Once landing at the airport, the rental car they had reserved was not available.  Desperate to make their appointment, the trio rented a U-Haul truck for the day to make the trip to the rural area where Jane lives. 

Leslie Owens, Kathryn Newman and Ryan Berry

By 2023, the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department had agreed to assist in the investigation of Jane’s case. Deputy John Burt had an arrest warrant presented to Rankin County Judge David Morrow for rape, kidnapping, and armed robbery.  This warrant was sent to Agent Dean in Oklahoma.  Dean developed an operational plan for the arrest of Skaggs. Deputy Burt traveled to Oklahoma for the arrest of Skaggs, which occurred on March 14, 2023. 

Skaggs arrest at his home

Agent Dean and Deputy Burt interviewed Skaggs.  Skaggs initially denied all allegations but then changed his story to tell the police that he could not remember anything from the time of the rapes.  Despite his claiming a lack of memory, Skaggs was able to tell officers precise details about the type of truck he drove in 1990 and 1991.  Skaggs refused to waive extradition to face the charges back in Mississippi. The District Attorney’s Office was prepared for this as they had already started the extradition process.  Soon thereafter, Skaggs was extradited to Mississippi to face his crimes. 

Interview of Skaggs

Once in Mississippi, Deputy Burt presented Judge David Morrow with a search warrant for the DNA of Skaggs.  Burt went to Skaggs and obtained a buccal swab from him.  Burt then took this swab to the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory for comparison to the original Reliagene DNA profile developed from the 05/06 sample.  Joe Heflin, a DNA Analyst with the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory, developed a profile from the buccal swab.   He then compared this sample to the 2006 Reliagene DNA sample that was developed from the sexual assault kit obtained from Jane in 1990.  Again, the results were staggering. Skaggs DNA was a match with a 1 in 10 billion statistical probability.  Joe Heflin later testified these results were capped at 10 billion (the approximate population of the earth).

A Rankin County Grand Jury indicted Daniel Ray Skaggs on April 6, 2023, for Rape, Kidnapping, and Armed Robbery crimes.  His trial was set for June 19, 2023, with Judge Dewey Arthur presiding.  ADA Kathryn Newman and ADA Ryan Berry represented the State.  A jury was selected on June 19, 2023, with testimony beginning June 20, 2023.  The State called 13 witnesses over the next two days, including Jane and Kim. The case was given to the jury on June 22, 2023.  After deliberating an hour and a half, the jury found Skaggs guilty of Rape and Kidnapping. Immediately after the trial, Judge Arthur proceeded with sentencing. Skaggs was sentenced as a violent habitual offender and given two life sentences consecutive.

After the verdict, District Attorney John Bramlett said, “Daniel Ray Skaggs is a serial rapist who has been a sexual predator since at least 1977.  I’m sure Skaggs thought he had gotten away with these crimes, but we didn’t stop working to get justice for these brave ladies. The science caught up with Daniel Ray Skaggs, and as a result, he will spend his remaining years in prison.”  After the verdict, ADA Ryan Berry stated, “This case would not have been solved without the hard work of several different law enforcement agencies.  We would like to thank the Brandon Police Department, Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, FBI, Mississippi Forensics Laboratory, Oklahoma Bureau of Investigations, Bode Technology and the Pearl Police Department for all their help and teamwork in securing this conviction.”  

Bramlett also said, “I want to encourage others that may have been attacked by Skaggs to come forward and contact their local law enforcement agency.  We believe these are not the only women Skaggs attached and would love help others find justice and peace. Also, we urge law enforcement agencies across the country with cold cases meeting these facts to process and upload any sexual assault kits. We believe there will be other victims of Mr. Skaggs who we would love to see have some closure.” 

Defendant:

Name: Daniel Ray Skaggs                                                     

Date of Birth: 11/8/1956

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Man Pleads to Armed Robbery of Ridgeland Store Clerk

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced today that Darrius Donta Brown, 34, pled guilty to one count of armed robbery and was sentenced to serve twenty years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. 

On March 9, 2023, Brown walked into Olde Town Wine and Spirits, located in Ridgeland, and pulled a handgun on the store clerk while demanding money from the register. The store clerk was able to get a possible tag number and gave officers a description of the man’s clothing. RPD contacted surrounding agencies for possible leads and discovered that Capitol Police worked an armed robbery three hours earlier by a man fitting the same description and wearing the same clothing. 

The Madison Police Department ran a still shot from the Jackson area robbery through their facial recognition software to develop Brown as a possible suspect. Brown was located five days later in Houston, Texas by the US Marshals. He was driving the same car and in possession of what police suspect to be the same handgun he used in the Ridgeland and Jackson robberies. 

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett stated, “This is yet another example of efficient and cooperative investigative work by law enforcement. The Ridgeland Police Department, working with Capitol Police and the Madison Police Departments quickly identified this individual which is crucial when solving crimes. My office was able to work with law enforcement throughout the process and Mr. Brown was pleading guilty less than ninety days after he committed his crime.” 

DEFENDANT: 

NAME: Darrius Donta Brown 

DOB: 10/01/1988 

Cocaine Trafficker Earns Lengthy Prison Sentence in Rankin County

Rankin County, MS - Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced that on May 23, 2023, 29-year-old Kevorkian Dehon Grace of Meridian pled guilty to trafficking cocaine. Judge Dewey K. Arthur sentenced Grace to forty years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with ten of those years to be served day-for-day without the possibility of parole or early release. 

On November 18, 2020, an officer with the Pearl Police Department stopped a silver Toyota Camry driven by Grace on Interstate 20 for not having a license plate displayed and speeding. Upon approaching the car, the officer observed a strong odor of burnt marijuana inside the vehicle. Grace told the officer he was returning to Meridian from visiting his girlfriend in New Mexico. During a probable cause search of the vehicle, the officer found a backpack containing 107 dosage units of suspected ecstasy, over 84 grams of cocaine, marijuana, THC wax, and other drug paraphernalia. 

The officer arrested Grace for trafficking cocaine and turned all the illegal narcotics over to the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory for analysis. The lab confirmed that the powder was indeed cocaine. After analyzing the 107 dosage units of suspected ecstasy, the lab found them counterfeit, containing no controlled substances. As a result, a Rankin County Grand Jury indicted Grace for trafficking cocaine on January 18, 2022. 

District Attorney Bramlett stated, “Kevorkian Grace, despite being only 29 years old, has proven to be a career criminal. He has numerous prior felony convictions out of Lauderdale County, yet he again chose to ignore the law and traffic cocaine through Rankin County. We hope this conviction and lengthy sentence will teach Mr. Grace and others contemplating bringing drugs into Rankin County that breaking the law here will not be tolerated.” 

Mr. Bramlett added, “We would like to thank the Pearl Police Department and analysts with the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory for making this conviction possible. Law enforcement officers across Rankin and Madison Counties risk their lives daily on our local interstates looking for drug and human traffickers.” 

DEFENDANT: 

Name: Kevorkian Dehon Grace 

DOB: 08/02/1993 

Fentanyl Traffickers Caught, Convicted, and Sentenced in Rankin County

Rankin County, MS - Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced that on May 23, 2023, 42-year-old Fredy Gutierrez of Victorville, CA, and 51-year-old Gabriel Becerra Manuel of Zapotlanejo, Jalisco, Mexico, pled guilty to trafficking fentanyl. Judge Dewey K. Arthur sentenced both Gutierrez and Manuel to forty years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with ten of those years to be served day-for-day, without the possibility of parole or early release. 

On February 4, 2022, a Rankin County Sheriff’s Department deputy stopped an MCI passenger bus driven by Gabriel Manuel on Interstate 20 for a traffic violation. Upon approaching the bus, the deputy found Gutierrez and Manuel to be the only two passengers. While speaking to the two individuals, the deputy noted numerous inconsistencies in their travel plans and itinerary, including where they were coming from and going and the reason for the trip. During a consensual bus search, Rankin County deputies located 81 bundles of fentanyl powder concealed in the bathroom wall in the bus’s rear, weighing 91.9 kilograms, or just over 200 pounds. 

The deputy arrested Gutierrez and Manuel for trafficking fentanyl and turned the bundles over to the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory for analysis. The lab confirmed that the powder was indeed fentanyl. As a result, a Rankin County Grand Jury indicted Gutierrez and Manuel for Aggravated Trafficking on November 17, 2022. 

“Fredy Gutierrez and Gabriel Manuel chose to traffic the very drug about which I have repeatedly warned our community,” stated District Attorney John K. Bramlett, Jr. “This was one of the largest busts in the United States, not counting those on the border between Mexico and the U.S. Recently released data from the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) and the Department of Justice shows that between 2019 and 2021, fatal overdoses increased by approximately 94%, with an estimated 196 Americans dying every day from fentanyl. In 2022, the DEA seized over 57 million fentanyl-laced counterfeit prescription pills and over 13,000 pounds of fentanyl powder – the equivalent of about 410 million potentially deadly doses of fentanyl. That is enough fentanyl to kill the entire U.S. population.” 

Bramlett added, “We hope this is the end of Gutierrez’s and Manuel’s criminal behavior and that this sentence will discourage others from choosing to make easy money by trafficking illegal drugs in and through our county, state, and country. We would like to thank the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, the Homeland Security task force, and other officers who assisted in removing this deadly drug from our streets, thus sparing an untold number of lives. My office will continue to diligently prosecute these poison peddlers, ensuring if they are caught in Rankin or Madison Counties, long prison sentences will be sought as allowed by law.” 

DEFENDANTS:

Name: Fredy Gutierrez 

DOB: 7/11/1980 

Name: Gabriel Becerra Manuel 

DOB: 9/10/1971 

Six Canton Men Plead Guilty to Gang Related Shooting

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced today that Joseph Warren Jr., 27, Cortez Robinson, 17, Cordarious Johnson, 16, LeChristopher Smith, 19, Teravium Davis, 32, and Ahkeem Lewis, 18, all residents of Canton, pled guilty to various charges stemming from an ambush style shooting that occurred last year. 

On February 12, 2022, officers from the Canton Police Department were dispatched to reports of multiple shots fired on North West Steet in Canton. Upon arrival, officers found a man who had been shot and a vehicle that had received extensive damage due to multiple gun shots into the car. 

Video from a local gas station showed four cars pull into the gas station minutes before the shooting. The victim arrived shortly thereafter, and the men ran towards his car holding what appeared to be guns. The victim sped out of the gas station and the individuals raced back to their cars and followed him seconds later. 

Video obtained from locals houses then showed the same four vehicles surrounding the victim’s car and at least two shooters firing rounds into the car in a close range assault minutes after they all left the gas station. 

Investigators suspected this to be a gang related, retaliatory shooting. Police began canvassing the social media accounts of several individuals. They discovered a music video that was shot hours before the shooting with the above individuals all participating and wearing the same clothing that can be seen in the surveillance tapes form the gas station. Officers also uncovered a photograph of the above individuals standing around the grave of Jaihlen Sims, a young man that had been murdered four months prior during a drive by shooting. That shooting was also suspected to be gang related. 

All six individuals pled guilty to their involvement in the shooting. Joseph Warren, Jr. pled guilty to aggravated assault, shooting into a vehicle, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and being a felon in possession of a weapon. He was sentenced to serve a total of twenty nine years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. He had previously been convicted of accessory after the fact to armed robbery in Hinds County. 

Cortez Robinson, Cordarious Johnson, and LeChristopher Smith each pled guilty to aggravated assault, shooting into a vehicle, and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. They were each sentenced to serve twenty-five years in prison. 

Terevium Davis pled to a single count of aggravated assault and was sentenced to ten years in prison. Ahkeem Lewis was sentenced to five years for a count of conspiracy. 

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Dewey Arthur noted that the video in this case showed a “military type assault on the victim’s vehicle.” He further noted that during all his years as a prosecutor and judge, he had not seen such a chilling video and that all of the men were lucky they were not looking at murder charges. 

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett stated, “These six convictions, and the substantial sentences, are the culmination of countless hours of dedicated service by our members of law enforcement and the District Attorney’s Office. We want to thank the law-abiding citizens of Canton, who have had enough of this mess, for their increasing support, cooperation, and jury service. Further, we appreciate the businesses of Canton, who have also had enough of this mess, and are now taking a more active role in curbing crime through their cooperation, installation of surveillance cameras and other pro-law enforcement measures. 

DEFENDANTS: 

Name: JOSEPH WARREN, JR. 

DOB: 12/16/1995 

Name: CORTEZ ROBINSON 

DOB: 12/15/2005 

Name: CORDARIOUS JOHNSON 

DOB: 07/05/2006 

Name: LECHISTOPHER SMITH 

DOB: 04/11/2004 

Name: TERAVIUM DAVIS 

DOB: 03/09/1991 

Name: AHKEEM LEWIS 

DOB: 01/07/2005 

Man Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Two Counts of Aggravated Domestic Violence in Madison County

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced today that Tyler Culberson, 31, was convicted of two counts of Aggravated Domestic Violence after a two day jury trial in Madison County Circuit Court. Culberson is a violent habitual offender, which mandates a life sentence without parole for each offense. Circuit Judge Bradley Mills ordered that Culberson serve those two life sentences consecutive to one another. 

On October 30, 2022, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a car accident on N. Old Canton Road. When officers arrived, they found a car with severe damage to both sides, and a completely splintered power pole. The female driver of the car and an eyewitness to the wreck indicated that her car had been forced off the road by another car. Her car had gone airborne, striking a tree and then a light pole. 

Upon further investigation, the female victim stated she had been trying to escape her boyfriend, Tyler Culberson. Culberson had assaulted her the night before at a home in the city of Madison. The victim had bite marks on her face and arms, bruises on the back of her neck, a black eye, and a broken arm. She indicated that she had received all the injuries overnight from Culberson. 

The Madison Police Department put a BOLO out for Culberson’s vehicle to surrounding agencies. The next night, the Richland Police Department located the vehicle within their city. Culberson gave officers a fake name and ran from them when they tried to take him into custody. He was eventually located hiding behind a daycare in Richland. 

During the trial, the victim detailed the months of abuse from Culberson. She stated she was too afraid to leave him or tell anyone. The victim stated that on the night in question, Culberson had become enraged with jealousy and strangled her, bit her, and punched her multiple times. When he went into the bathroom the next morning, she fled the house and jumped in her car. As she was racing towards help, Culberson came from behind her in his vehicle and forced her car off the road. 

The eyewitness to the wreck also testified that she saw the car driven by Culberson speed up behind the victim, cross into the other lane of traffic, and push her off the road with his vehicle. The witness further stated that when she approached the victim’s car, Culberson was screaming obscenities at the female. Culberson fled the accident scene when the witness stated she had called the police for help. 

The treating Emergency Room doctor detailed the victim’s multiple injuries. He testified the victim’s arm was broken which is commonly viewed as a defensive wound which occurs when someone is shielding themselves from injury. Multiple officers testified, and the body cam footage from the Richland police chase was played for the jury. Finally, the State put on testimony from a former victim of Culberson’s abuse. He previously abused her in a nearly identical manner in 2016, including choking, biting, and beating her. Culberson was convicted of aggravated domestic violence for these events in Rankin County and released from prison only months before the events for which he was on trial. 

At the conclusion of the trial, the Madison County jury was instructed to consider two counts of aggravated domestic violence against the victim. The first was due to him strangling her during the night. The second was due to him attempting to cause bodily injury to her with his vehicle. 

After a short deliberation, the jury found Culberson guilty on both counts. Immediately following the verdict, the trial proceeded to a sentencing hearing. The State put on evidence that Culberson had previously been convicted of motor vehicle theft and the aggravated domestic violence from the 2016 incident. Based on his prior criminal history, Judge Mills declared that Culberson was a violent habitual offender, and the only sentence allowed by law was life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. 

District Attorney Bramlett stated, “Tyler Culberson has proven to be a danger to women, and society as a whole. He spent almost four years in prison for assaulting a woman in Rankin County. Less than a year after his release, he did it again. The victim in this case is lucky to have survived both the beating and the car wreck. Culberson has never displayed any level of accountability for his actions.” 

Bramlett continued, “I want to stress how important jury duty is to the effectiveness of the criminal justice system. Without jurors, dangerous people like Tyler Culberson will never be stopped. The jurors in this case were attentive throughout the trial, and applied the law to the evidence that was presented to them by the State. They unanimously determined that Culberson was guilty and, because of that, he will never hurt a woman again. I want to thank those jurors for giving their time to perform this critical civic duty. I also want to thank the multiple law enforcement agencies who worked seamlessly together to not only investigate but capture this man. Oftentimes crimes do not stop at a county line, and the fact that we have agencies that help one another makes my office’s job of prosecuting those individuals possible.” 

DEFENDANT: 

NAME: TYLER CULBERSON 

DOB: 12/10/1991 

Laurel Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Battery of a Child and Will Serve Twenty Years

Rankin, MS - Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced today that Daniel Artis Jenkins was sentenced to 25 years for Sexual Battery by Circuit Court Judge Steve Ratcliff. 

Jenkins, 59, will serve 20 years of his sentence in prison and then be placed on supervised probation for five years. He must register as a sex offender and will have no contact with his victim. 

On April 27, 2022, the Richland Police Department received a complaint from the Jones County Sheriff’s Department regarding the defendant sexually abusing a victim when she was a child. Jones County Sheriff’s Department arrested the defendant for child exploitation in an unrelated case. After his arrest, the victim came forward to disclose the abuse that occurred when the victim was 12. The abuse occurred between 2003 and 2004 at the defendant’s home in Richland. 

The defendant was interviewed by the Richland Police Department and confessed to some of the abuse. He was charged with statutory rape, sexual battery, and gratification of lust based on the victim’s disclosures. 

Rather than proceed to trial on his charges, Jenkins pled guilty to sexual battery on April 25, 2023. He was sentenced to 25 years for sexual battery involving a minor. He will be required to serve 20 years day for day in prison. He is additionally facing charges in Jones County for the other incident, which was investigated by the Jones County Sheriff’s Department 

District Attorney Bramlett stated, “This is a case where the victim lived with the unreported abuse by Jenkins for almost 20 years. We are thankful for the work of the Jones County Sheriff’s Department and the Richland Police Department in helping get this victim justice and getting this pedophile off the streets. Our office will continue to zealously fight for and protect our children from abuse.” 

DEFENDANT: 

NAME: DANIEL ARTIS JENKINS

DOB: 06/01/1964 

Convicted Felon Sentenced to Serve Thirty-Five Years for Aggravated Assault on Law Enforcement Officers

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced today that Jonathan Santino Gray, 30, of Jackson pled guilty to three counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, felony evasion, motor vehicle theft, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to serve thirty-five years in the custody of MDOC. 

On September 28, 2022, Jonathan Gray stole a work vehicle from a contractor working on a home in Silverleaf Subdivision. Officers quickly located the vehicle in the city of Madison and attempted to stop the Defendant. He refused to stop - going over 90 MPH as he drove south on Highland Colony Parkway until he entered the city of Ridgeland. He rammed several officers vehicles in attempts to further elude police. As Gray changed directions and headed towards Ridgeland High School, officers made the decision to disable the vehicle before he could reach the school. Officers with the US Marshall Service were able to both disable the vehicle and take Gray into custody. Officers found a 9 mm handgun located in Gray’s possession after he was taken into custody. 

Gray had been previously convicted out of Hinds County for the charge of Armed Robbery in 2014. 

A Madison County grand jury indicted Gray on several charges including three counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer by use of a deadly weapon. District Attorney Bubba Bramlett stated, “When someone uses a vehicle to intentionally hit officers – whether they are in the cruisers or not – that is an aggravated assault by use of a deadly weapon. It is a miracle that no one was injured in this matter and that officers were able to stop the evasion before it got any closer to the high school.” 

Bramlett continued, “Officers from the Sheriff’s Department, Madison PD, Ridgeland PD, and the US Marshalls Task Force were all involved in the capture of this dangerous man. Jonathan Gray had absolutely zero regard for anyone else as he sped down Highland Colony during the middle of the work day. He drove into oncoming traffic and caused property damage to both local business owners and the police departments’ vehicle. Let this case be a warning to anyone thinking of running through Madison or Rankin Counties and using your vehicle as a weapon against our officers. We will not take that lightly and you will face serious prison time for your actions.” 

DEFENDANT: 

NAME: JONATHAN SANTINO GRAY

DOB: 05/08/1992 

Pearl Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Battery of a Child and Will Serve Twenty Years

Rankin, MS - Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Bubba Bramlett, announced that Billy Joe Coker was sentenced to 25 years for Sexual Battery by Circuit Court Judge Steve Ratcliff. 

Coker, 67, will serve 20 years of his sentence in prison and then be placed on supervised probation for five years. He must register as a sex offender and will have no contact with his victim. 

On May 5, 2022, the Richland Police Department received a complaint from the victim’s family regarding the defendant sexually abusing the child. It was reported that the abuse occurred at the defendant’s home in Pearl and also in Richland. Both the Richland and the Pearl Police Departments worked to investigate the matter. 

The child was interviewed and disclosed that the Coker started abusing her when she was 14. Coker made the victim perform multiple sexual acts over four years. He would make the victim perform the sex acts, and then he would buy vapes and other things for the victim. 

The victim’s family recorded the defendant confessing to some of the sexual abuse. However, Coker denied the allegations and requested an attorney when law enforcement picked him up. Rather than proceed to trial on all his charges, Coker pled guilty to sexual battery on April 11, 2023. He was sentenced to 25 years for sexual battery involving a minor. He will be required to serve 20 years day for day in prison. 

“I commend the Richland and Pearl Police Departments and the assistant district attorneys in our office for their outstanding work on this case, which resulted in this guilty plea,” stated District Attorney Bramlett. “The courage and strength of this child and the parents must also be commended.” 

DEFENDANT: 

NAME: BILLY JOE COKER 

DOB: 11/14/1955 

UPDATED: Man Sentenced to Serve Forty Years After Robbing Ridgeland Hotel Clerk

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced today that Noah Bradford, 24, of Jackson was sentenced to serve forty years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Bradford was found guilty of one count of armed robbery on March 28, 2022. Circuit Court Judge Steve Ratcliff held a sentencing hearing before handing down his sentence. 

On May 28, 2021, Bradford walked to the front desk of the Staybridge Suites wearing a hoody and mask, jumped behind the counter, and pulled a gun on the female working. He demanded money and upon receiving the $250 from the register, he ran from the premises. Officers from the Ridgeland Police Department were able to obtain surveillance footage from both the Staybridge as well as surrounding businesses and develop a suspect vehicle. Working with other law enforcement agencies, these officers were eventually able to track that car back to Bradford. Upon execution of a search warrant on Bradford’s apartment, they found the clothing he had used in the robbery as well as the gun, which had been hidden in the tank of his toilet. 

Bradford elected to go to trial on the charge. At the conclusion of the trial, jurors found him guilty after a short deliberation. Bradford has also been accused of murder and several armed robberies in Hinds County. He was given non-adjudicated probation on a charge of accessory after the fact to armed robbery and was still on probation at the time of the Ridgeland robbery. He is also currently facing a kidnapping charge in Hinds County that is still pending. 

District Attorney Bubba Bramlett stated, “Noah Bradford did the crime, law enforcement did their jobs, we did our job, and the jury did theirs. Today, the judge did his job, and I couldn’t agree more. Forty years fits the crime really well. Since Bradford committed it, he gets to wear it.” 

Name: NOAH BRADFORD

DOB: 08/27/1998