Jackson Jambalaya

Jimmie Gates story on May 13, 2010

Karen Irby and her husband, Jackson businessman Stuart Irby, are poised for a legal fight - against each other.


Only, Karen Irby will be doing her fighting from prison in Rankin County.

Karen Irby, 39, is at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, where on Tuesday she started serving an 18-year sentence on two counts of culpable negligence manslaughter. She admitted she was driving drunk when her car, carrying her husband, slammed into a truck carrying Drs. Mark Pogue and Lisa Dedousis on Old Canton Road in Jackson in 2009. The Irbys were injured, and Pogue and Dedousis, his fiancee, were killed.

Before Karen Irby was sentenced, the victims' families called on prosecutors to pursue charges against Stuart Irby for allegedly fighting with his wife at the time of the crash.

Also, on Tuesday, Karen Irby filed a cross claim against her husband, alleging he caused or contributed to the collision that killed the doctors on Feb. 11, 2009. She seeks damages against her husband for her injuries, medical bills, pain and suffering and emotional distress.

"Immediately prior to the collision ... Stuart M. Irby screamed at, threatened, attacked and assaulted Karen C. Irby, causing and/or contributing to the collision ...," Karen Irby's cross claim says. "The actions of Stuart M. Irby were intentional, reckless, grossly negligent and/or negligent."

Her cross claim was filed in reference to a lawsuit pending by the doctors' families against her and her husband.

Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith dismissed Karen Irby's allegations.

"Witnesses said she was speeding and weaving in and out of traffic long before the crash," Smith said Wednesday. "No one saw any fighting."

Smith pointed out that when Karen Irby pleaded guilty in March, Hinds County Circuit Judge Tomie Green asked her to tell what happened and Karen Irby didn't say anything about Stuart Irby striking her or helping cause the accident.

There will be no attempt to present any evidence to a grand jury about Stuart Irby, Smith said.

Stuart Irby's attorney continued to staunchly defend him.

"There is no credible evidence to support allegations in the cross claim," Richard Montague said Wednesday. "We will file appropriate responsive pleadings in due course."

On Tuesday, Montague said Stuart Irby, from the beginning, hasn't wavered and has defended and supported his wife.

A motion was filed Wednesday on behalf of Stuart Irby to view his wife's medical records.

"Karen Irby has identified medical treatment for her injuries sustained in the accident. The history given to those health-care providers is important to defendant Stuart Irby's defense against a new contention by Karen Irby that Stuart Irby's actions caused the subject accident," the motion says.

Her attorney in the civil case didn't return a call Wednesday.

Karen Irby's blood-alcohol level was 0.13 to 0.14 percent after the accident, according to police. The legal limit is 0.08 percent.

The doctors' families could not be reached Wednesday. They have a $60 million lawsuit filed against the Irbys. Documents filed in Rankin County Chancery Court dealing with Pogue's estate suggests a settlement has been reached in the civil case against Karen Irby and her insurer.

The Irbys, parents of a 4-year-old son, were married in June 2005 in Jackson. In September 2008, Stuart Irby filed for divorce, alleging habitual cruel and inhuman treatment and irreconcilable differences.

A check of Hinds County Chancery Court records Wednesday showed no action on the divorce petition or a new one filed.

When asked Wednesday, an attorney for Stuart Irby said he had no information about Stuart Irby's plans for his marriage.

Jackson police have responded to the Irbys' home on several occasions, with Stuart Irby being accused twice of domestic abuse.

Stuart Irby, 57, was charged on Jan. 1, 2007, but was not prosecuted, records show. He also was charged April 7, 2008, and was released on a $5,000 bond. City court records don't show a disposition of the case.

Meanwhile, Karen Irby, who also has an 8-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, was placed on suicide watch Tuesday when she reported and will remain so until a psychologist evaluates her, Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps said.

"This is procedure for high-profile cases and former law enforcement officers," he said.

"She has not exhibited any abnormal behavior," Epps said.

Now here is the infamous puff piece:

2 paths to Feb. 11 Jackson tragedy
Gary Pettus • gpettus@clarionledger.com • March 8, 2009


"I thought it was a house fire," she said.

It was a fire: A surge of flames swamped the pickup carrying Dr. Mark Pogue and his fiancee, Dr. Lisa Dedousis.

The fire flared up after a head-on collision between the truck and a car driven by Karen Irby. With Irby was Stuart M. Irby Sr., her husband and a prominent Jackson businessman.

The Irbys were badly injured and are still recovering.

Pogue and Dedousis died at the scene.

People are still blogging, and sympathizing, and praying and raging about the wreck in the 5100 block of Old Canton Road.

What many may not know is that, while the four people involved in the wreck are, or were, different in many ways, they also had things in common.

Unfortunately, one of those things was this: They were on the same road at the same time on the night of Feb. 11.

On that night, Pogue and Dedousis had planned to have dinner at the home of Dr. Aaron Morgan.

From the day they met two years ago, Morgan and Pogue were friends. They drank coffee and played chess together.

"He was so competitive, he even hated to lose to my kids on the Wii," Morgan said.

"You either loved him or you hated him, and he was OK with that. That's why I liked him."

The two men met as residents at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Becoming a doctor meant a long journey for Pogue, who was practically reared by his grandfather, John Burkes, a mechanic who lived in Kemper County. Pogue finished high school at Neshoba Central in Philadelphia.

The two were extremely close, and Pogue was bedside last July when Burkes died.

"Even after his granddad passed, he sat there in his house for a day," said the Rev. Bill Freeman, pastor of Covenant Life Baptist Church in Collinsville, the town where Pogue's mother and stepfather live.

"He sat in his granddad's chair and made friends with the cat. Then he took the cat back to Jackson with him and named him J.B."

From his grandfather, Pogue had learned how to fix a car. It was later that he decided he'd rather fix people.

"Mark didn't have a lot of things," Freeman said. "(Living by) humble means: That's Mississippi, rural Mississippi. But you don't have to wallow in that, and Mark didn't."

But by the time he made it into medical school, he was already in his late 20s, struggling to find enough loans and grants to stay in school and stay alive.

"Sometimes he ate peanut butter sandwiches for a week," Freeman said, "and he was glad to get the peanut butter and the bread.

"You never heard him complain when he was scratching the bottom of the barrel. "This is a lesson I learned from him. And I'm a preacher.

"His family tried to help him. At one time, they wanted to sell me a Snapper lawn mower.

"I probably paid a little more than I would have otherwise once I found out the money was going to Mark. That sealed the deal."

Before medical school, Pogue had worked several jobs: mechanic, factory worker, construction worker. Then he found a job as a phlebotomist, drawing blood for a living, while earning a degree in laboratory medicine.

His love of medicine led him to Neshoba County General Hospital, where he became director of Physician Services.

But that wasn't his dream.

"A lot of people would have given up," said Dr. Diane Beebe, who chairs UMC's Department of Family Medicine, where Pogue served his residency.

"They'd say, 'It's too hard; it costs too much money; it takes too much time.' Mark didn't."

He discovered a less traditional, if more affordable, route to a medical degree. He enrolled in a school on the Caribbean island of Antigua. Then he went to England, where he met Dedousis.

On their first date, Stuart M. Irby Sr. played the piano for her.

Whatever he played, their friends say, Karen Collins fell in love with the song, and with him. They were married the next year.

He's a licensed pilot, musician, photographer and sailing buff.

Now 55, he played football at Murrah High School in Jackson, his alma mater.

In 1975, he graduated from Southern Methodist University with a bachelor of fine arts degree in broadcast and film arts.

Neither Stuart M. Irby Sr. nor his four siblings were destined to scrimp and save. They are the grandchildren of the late Stuart C. Irby Sr., founder of an electrical supply firm that became one of the most successful companies in Mississippi.

When Stuart M. took over as president of the company in 1985, major corporate executives sent him congratulations.

"One letter sticks in my mind," said Joe Maxwell, journalist in residence at Belhaven College who's writing a biography on Stuart M.'s father.

"It read, 'The tradition of following two former Stuarts as president can be either awesome or comforting - I'm sure you'll find it to be a little of both.' "

That tradition demands the Irbys share their wealth - with charities, educational institutions, arts groups and more.

One is the United Way; Stuart M. is on the board of directors.

"He and I have become very good friends, so my heart is breaking for him right now," said Carol Burger, president of the United Way of the Capital Area.

"Some people will tell you what you want to hear; he tells you what you need to hear.

"He wants results. He told me he wants the money we raise to change people's lives."

In that regard, Stuart M. found a perfect match in Karen Collins.

"They are one of the most giving couples I know," said Mary Fortune, executive vice president of the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi.

"Karen has helped us raise funds for our children's camp, and together they've supported our other programs. "I believe they live their faith."

That faith is Presbyterian. At First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Karen Irby teaches Vacation Bible School.

Friends say her life is centered around children.

"Her favorite pastime is playing in the yard with her children and congregating outside with her neighbors and their children after school," said Jana Bell of Jackson, a family friend.

"The most important thing to her is being a wife and mother."

Like her husband, Karen Irby was married before. Her daughter Parker, 7, is from that marriage. Stuart's grown children are Stuart M. Irby Jr. and Natalie Read Irby.

Karen, 38, and Stuart have a son together - Graham, 3.

Before she and Irby met, Karen Collins was brought up in Gulfport and graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1992, studying speech communication and public relations.

She worked for several years, as an Internet sales rep, and as territory manager for L'Oreal cosmetics. She was a member of former Gov. Kirk Fordice's Team Mississippi.

Recently, she found more time for volunteer work, Bell said, having decided to become a stay-at-home mom.

When not at home, she and her husband often met friends at the Country Club of Jackson.

On the night of Feb. 11, Morgan's daughter had to be hospitalized. She was dehydrated from an intestinal bug.

Morgan had to cancel the family dinner with Pogue and Dedousis.

"I guess they decided to go out and eat instead," Morgan said. "They must have been headed home when it happened."

The doctors had met while in medical school in England.

Since then, Pogue had finished his medical training in the United States, entered UMC's family practice program and was set to finish his residency in June.

Dedousis was a first-year resident at Jersey City (N.J.) Medical Center.

A few days before Valentine's Day, she came to Jackson to visit her fiance - their first sight of each other since he'd proposed to her in December.

"I talked to them on the phone a couple of hours before the accident," Morgan said.

"They were acting like little kids together. He was so happy."

Like the Irbys, both had a soft spot for the underdog.

Pogue once offered to buy an airline ticket for a colleague who couldn't afford to visit her folks, Morgan said.

In Jersey City, Dedousis was known for her energy and her smile, and for covering her colleagues' shifts, said Dr. Navneet Lather, a hospital staff member.

Mark Rabson, a hospital spokesman, remembers the moment the staff heard about Dedousis' death.

"You have to understand: This is a regional trauma center," he said. "People here have seen everything.

"But in the emergency room, they were crying that day."

The Irbys were in their Mercedes-Benz, westbound on Old Canton Road, not far from the country club.

Their car hit the truck, slammed into a retaining wall near The Glen Apartments.

Pogue's truck hit the wall, too, and smashed through it. Flames from the burning truck could be seen more than a block away.

The Jackson Police Department has received the toxicology report from the accident, but is withholding the results so the case can be presented to a grand jury. A toxicology report, which determines whether alcohol or drugs played a role in an accident, is standard in fatal wrecks.

The case likely will be presented to a grand jury in April, officials said.

"The public needs to understand there is no conspiracy," police spokesman Lt. Jeffery Scott said.

About two weeks after the accident, Karen Irby was released from UMC. She has undergone surgery to mend broken bones to her face and body.

Stuart Irby is still hospitalized, and as of late last week was "essentially" in ICU, according to a posting by his brother, Charles Irby, on the Web site CaringBridge.org.

On Feb. 20, Pogue was buried in Burkes Cemetery in DeKalb.

In New Jersey, family and friends held a memorial service for Dedousis on Friday; it was her fiance's 36th birthday.

In the face of conspiracy theorists and judgmental bloggers, those who know these four people best are holding onto their kindest memories of them.

And there are the others, like West, who heard the sirens screaming that night.

"I don't like to think about it at all," she said. "It was so bad."

To comment on this story, call Gary Pettus at (601) 961-7037

I thought I read somewhere that she registered .09.

"On their first date, Stuart M. Irby Sr. played the piano for her."
So was Stuart in England? How did this come about? Did their relationship continue?

Pogue met Dedousis in England. Stuart played the piano for Karen. The article switches storylines without explanation.

My guess is for their first date all 'you know who' felt he needed to do was whip out his schloonnngggg.

Lock up your booze, hide your wife and don't invite the serial adulterer over to your place for a sleeplover.

It's extremely interesting that both Judge Green and the victims' families seemed to believe Karen's account of the events leading up to the accident, including the idea that Stuart played a direct role in causing the accident.

WLBT provided a picture of the thick stack of pages that comprise the deposition that Karen gave in the civil case. How did WLBT get access to that deposition? Is there any chance WLBT will make that whole deposition available on their web site?

There's bound to be a lot more very interesting information in that deposition. Kingfish, is there any chance that you can get a copy of that deposition and make it available through your web site? Have you at least been able to see and read that deposition for yourself? If so, do you believe Karen's account?

unless the record is sealed, which i doubt it is, all you have to do is find out who the court reporting company is and call them and pay them for a copy. cost you a few hundred bucks for a thick transcript. condensed version is cheaper. you can also watch the court file. sooner or later someone will file a motion and attach that transcript as an exhibit, and then it's public record and you can make yourself a copy at the courthouse.

Karen Irby didn't have a chance. It was protect Stuart at all costs. I have to wonder about Karen's legal advice. After hearing what I have heard and read about Stuart, I certainly have doubts the wreck was all her fault. I think many others feel the same. If anyone gets on this blog again and says how wonderful the Irby family is, I am going to throw up.

I can get the disposition for You I am Kin to one of the Clerks at the Hinds County Courthouse and she would be more than happy to give Me the disposition anytime. Let Me know if You want Me to get it for You! Maybe We can find out the truth about this matter. Yep I do one hundred percent believe that Stuart is the main person who cause the wreck in the first place and the Judge who rejected the Irby Assault Claim is more than likely has ties with Stuart Irby and that makes credible sense too. Things don't add up about Stuart Irby and all of Us is going to find out and investigate this matter even doing multiple search engines on Stuart M. Irby! Oh by the way did You know that on google has an advanced search and has ADOBE PDF too? Yep it does and I found a lot of articles that was supposed to be private and surprised that I found out things about My Child's Father, I was shocked to learn. Eeech it was freaky too.

Is Laouida's Blogger, "all there"? They use a mix of ebonics, English and random caps and hacked spelling. I'm torn between typical Mississippi resident or someone playing a gag.

No, she is not.

Kingfish I got the Disposition Case from the Irby Case for You! Where could I send it to You in the mail or fax? Email Me! You will be shocked and put it like this some People has lied and had it all planned when the Case was handed to Judge Green. Ugh! Karen would have been better if she went to trial than to have plead guilty! Put it like that!

Could Laouida's Blogger be someone from the JFP?

I think Laouida Dunn is Barbara Dunn's relative.

You think with a relative like that, she would be more aware of legal rule, procedures, etc.

I don't understand why Karen did not go to trial with a battered wife defense. Given the history with this couple, it might have created enough reasonable doubt with a jury.

But then again, if the attorneys were actually looking out for Stuart's best interests, that might explain why she was guided toward a plea agreement. A trial could have exposed all sorts of dirty little secrets.

I wonder at what point Karen realized her legal counsel was actually looking out for Stuart?

Whoever Laouida'sBlogger is "kin" with; he/she is quite humorous. I am not making light of the tragic subjectmatter, only the comments of the blogger.

Laouida, if you hate the Jackson Free Press, does that mean you now hate Donna Ladd? Your web page on the LoungeList social networking web site indicates that it was Donna Ladd who invited you to the LoungeList. What's the story there?

At any rate, Laouida, you can send an email to the Kingfish at kingfish1935@gmail.com and ask him for a regular mailing address where you can send the deposition. I hope he will take you up on the offer if it's genuine. I also hope he will publish the deposition so that the rest of us can find out exactly what Karen is claiming. If Stuart actually attacked her in the car, I can understand why she would have been afraid to tell anybody about that for a long time, especially with the apparently close relationship between Stuart and various people in positions of power and influence.

I'm betting she's so proud of her niece. The internettrailfromhell she's created is quite sad and telling. Not to mention it appears the daily meds dose need an upward adjustment.

I don't know Laouida Dunn. I had never even heard of her before I noticed her name on this web site. Whatever issues she may or may not have had in her own life do not change the facts of the Irby case. If Laouida is willing to help see that Karen Irby's deposition in the civil case is published, great. Remember that Judge Green apparently saw that deposition and remarked regarding Stuart Irby that "his day is coming."

Laouida-

I am Barbara Dunn's granddaughter. I would like to know how you are related to her. And I know for a fact that my grandmother would not appreciate you throwing her name around like this on a blog.

Laouida Dunn doesn't even know how to spell deposition. She continues to type "disposition". She's an idiot with an internet connection.

I am fixing to delete My posts because Kingfish got it through his email. I cannot stand posers who say that there someones somebody! Release Your name and quit being anonymous. I am not scared of showing My name and You shouldn't either!! If You think You can do better than Me by Investigating the Irby Case be My guest!!

Whether or not Laouida happens to have good spelling or grammar skills doesn't prove or disprove anything about her character. But more importantly at the moment, it also doesn't change the facts of the Irby case. I hope that when Laouida said that "Kingfish got it through his email" she was talking about the deposition. If she was, then I hope Kingfish will make that information available when appropriate. Maybe there are some facts that can't be released just yet but will be released before too long. As someone pointed out, it was Judge Green who said that Stuart's day is coming.

That he's got three cars?

All right, clean up in progress. I'm taking down the stuff relating to what Mr. Irby owns and his kids. Junior and Nat had nothing to do with anything. I love the enthusiasm and interest but I don't want to cross the line into harassment either. Doesn't mean we don't love you here at JJ and keep commenting away, just a few crossed over today is all. No big deal.

Still haven't gotten the depo in my email. Of course I would love to read it.

Kingfish I'm on Your facebook page, send Me a private message to Me and give Me Your home address, I cannot send it to You online because I don't want to hurt Your reputation and Mine. Thank U <3

BFF?

We know where you live and we're coming over.

Just remember the safe word.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Kingfish, didn't you provide a goggle link to the deposition documents filed on January 25, 2010 by the victim's attorneys that Stuart never answered?
From the detailed questions posed to Mr. Irby, it was apparent to this reader that the circumstances re: the fight in the vehicle was known to the victim's attorneys well before Karen's sentencing last week. Therfore, that particular scenario is not a recent fabrication but most likely the truth of the matter.

I did. its still up. Just dig through the posts.