Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Laurel newspaper accuses Sandersons of retaliation

The Laurel Leader-Call accused Sanderson Farms of pulling its advertising after the newspaper investigated a homicide.  Publisher Jim Cegielski took on the Laurel Police Department and  Sanderson Farms in a scathing editorial.  This line says it all: "some of the richest and most powerful people in our community seem to want to punish and threaten this newspaper and its employees for attempting to uncover the truth and get justice for Katherine and her family."  Writing with acid, Mr. Cegielski defends his newspaper.   The editorial is reprinted below with the permission of the newspaper.

Sanderson pulls ‘Bobcat Jr.’ sponsorship in retaliation

My younger daughter, Alison, is less than a year older than Katherine Sinclair. Earlier this year, our family was able to celebrate the marriage of Alison to her new husband Jonathan in a joyful affair that took place at Westminster Presbyterian Church and Studio 5Fifty in downtown Laurel.

Unstoppable and unexplainable tears poured out of my eyes as I gave my beautiful daughter away to the very fine gentleman who is now my son-in-law. Married, happy and pursuing a career in the medical field, I look forward to watching my youngest daughter blossom and one day, hopefully, she will bless us with grandchildren.

Less than a month later, Katherine Sinclair’s parents were laying to rest their beautiful daughter. Their tears are easily explained and will likely never stop. Katherine, who was about to pursue her own path in the medical field, was found dead from a gunshot to the head at the home of her 38-year-old boyfriend, Greg Burroughs. Her parents will never get to see her marry, never get to see her fulfill her dreams and never get grandchildren from her.

Katherine’s family and friends will never get what they really want … but they should at least get answers and, with it, justice. That is what this newspaper wants. Everyone in this community should want that for Katherine and her family, but sadly that doesn’t seem to be the case. On the contrary, some of the richest and most powerful people in our community seem to want to punish and threaten this newspaper and its employees for attempting to uncover the truth and get justice for Katherine and her family.

There are people who live in Windemere who are more upset that we use the header “Windemere shooting” than they are that a 23-year-old girl was found dead under mysterious circumstances in their subdivision. It’s a disgusting lack of empathy for a young girl who lost her life under tragic and quite possibly murderous circumstances.

From the very moment that this shooting was called in to the Laurel Police Department, something was oddly different about it. It started with the fact that Greg Burroughs was one of only a small handful of people who have ever been left off the jail’s website. Worse than that, police told his family that they could clean up the scene around the vehicle in which Katherine was found. Who ever heard of such a thing? I’ve watched enough true crime shows such as Dateline and 48 Hours to know that the evidence leading up to what really occurred that night was probably inside the house. There is no doubt that the entire area should have been sealed off and evidence should have been collected.

Incredibly, District Attorney Tony Buckley went on record defending the police because they secured the vehicle. I like and respect Tony a lot and this paper has always had a good relationship with him, but I am more than a little perplexed by why he has handled this case differently than any others that we can remember. Never before has this newspaper had to file a “Freedom of Information” request in order to secure incident reports for any LPD case. And once we received those reports for this case, it was DA Buckley who had used a black sharpie to cross out more than 80 percent of the information.

There is no doubt that those reports would have shed a lot of light on what really happened the night of June 1. For example, we have had credible sources tell us that Katherine Sinclair was wearing no pants … no bottoms at all, when they found her in the car. If that was the case, one could reasonably assume that Ms. Sinclair was fleeing from something as fast as possible. As one very seasoned, local crime investigator told us recently, 23-year-old girls don’t go to their vehicles bottomless to commit suicide.

Although the LPD and District Attorney have done their best to throw up roadblocks when it comes to uncovering the truth about what happened at Greg Burroughs’ Windermere residence, Mark Thornton has done a masterful job of uncovering a pattern of special treatment when it comes to crimes that Greg Burroughs has been charged with.

We have more than 100 years of combined newspaper experience working at this paper and Greg Burroughs is the only person any of us have ever heard of getting out of a charge of “resisting arrest.” Think about it. It’s the police officer’s word against the person being charged. How does anyone get out of that? But he did.

And that’s not all he has gotten out of. He’s also had DUI, child endangerment, family disturbance and failure to comply with an officer charges filed against him and he’s either been found not guilty, the judge dismissed the case or the prosecution witnesses (police officers) have chosen not to show up in court. Why? How? Is it not reasonable to ask why Greg Burroughs seems to have a history of special treatment?

We know for a fact that Greg Burroughs has personal and/or business relationships with at least two judges, Kyle Robertson and Frank McKenzie. Were these connections used to get Greg Burroughs out of previous charges? Are there connections to law enforcement itself, as it is inexplicable why then-deputy, now LPD officer Josh Welch wouldn’t show up in court to make sure that Burroughs had to answer the resisting arrest, disturbance of family, disorderly conduct, DUI and child endangerment charges that Welch leveled against him. Welch needs to testify under oath as to why he didn’t show up. Did someone ask him not to? Was there a payoff?

Based on that history of special treatment, isn’t it fair to question whether justice is really being served when it comes to the death of Katherine Sinclair?

Apparently some powerful people in this community don’t think this newspaper should be bringing any of these questions to light and they are willing to punish the Sinclair family, schoolchildren in our community and this newspaper to show just how powerful they are.

On June 30, Sanderson Farms Director of Marketing Hillary Burroughs (Greg’s sister-in-law) contacted Leader-Call Ad Director Robin Bice to cancel their sponsorship of “Bobcat Jr.” That publication has been heralded by students, teachers and school administrators in Jones County as “a great teaching tool” and “a fun way for kids to learn.” It is put into the hands of every third-, fourth- and fifth-grader in the Laurel and Jones County school districts as well as Laurel Christian School and St. John’s Day School.

We have been nothing but advocates of Joe Frank Sanderson Jr. and Sanderson Farms here at the Leader-Call. In May, I personally created and ran a full-page ad supporting Mr. Sanderson against the billboards that were attacking him on 16th Avenue. No one asked me to do it. I was offended by the billboards attacking someone who was doing such good for our community and I decided to show my support.

We also turned down lucrative advertising from an agency that wanted to run thousands of dollars in ads attacking Sanderson Farms. Instead, we run complimentary ads for Sanderson’s PGA golf tournament each year and we run their press releases touting their achievements, personnel changes or anything else they want to publicize. Joe Frank Sanderson Jr. was even our “Person of the Year” in 2016. We have been so supportive, I found it hard to believe that Mr. Sanderson and COO Lampkin Butts knew about Ms. Burroughs’ decision to cancel the sponsorship, not to mention ceasing their advertising in our upcoming, highly popular football preview magazine. Unfortunately, it is clear that they do after they failed to respond to certified letters and emails sent to their attention.

Sadly, their retaliation against our coverage of a case that actually needs substantially more uncovering will affect school children. It’s a shameful way to use their power, but it fits into the narrative of this entire case … special privilege for the rich and powerful and a lack of empathy for the victim.

And lest you think that the only threats we have received have been financially based, you would be terribly wrong. We have been getting “friendly’ warnings for a month now that we are putting ourselves in danger. We’ve been told about terrible, unsolved murders from yesteryear. Some of our best sources suddenly won’t talk to us, and the few who will only do so anonymously. Even friends of Katherine who tell us that they “know” that she wouldn’t kill herself are afraid to be identified because they or their parents fear for their safety.

With that as our backdrop, I took it very seriously when one of my staff recently had a Laurel Police sergeant tell him that “if the Leader-Call gets firebombed, don’t expect the LPD to show up.” I immediately notified Mayor Magee, who notified Police Chief Tyrone Stewart.

Even after a long conversation with the Chief, another person I like and get along with quite well, I was not reassured. That’s mostly because of his insistence that this case was handled the same way as all the others, when clearly it was not, and his insistence that the Leader-Call is being treated the same way as it always has, when I can assure you that that is not even close to the truth.

I take solace in the fact that even though the FBI is not involved in an active investigation of the case, that federal agency is quite aware of it. I know this because a few weeks ago, I was interviewed by an agent for well over 30 minutes. But quite honestly, I think the FBI should be taking the lead in this case and I told them so.

There are simply too many questions surrounding the handling of this case. There is too much evidence of special treatment shown to Greg Burroughs on this case as well as previous cases. There are too many people afraid to talk. There are too many powerful and influential people who are too close to Mr. Burroughs. There’s the stench of a cover-up in the air and there are just way too many people who seem to think that Katherine Sinclair’s life was unimportant.

It’s not just the newspaper’s responsibility, but it is our job as a community of decent, caring, God-fearing individuals to make sure that Katherine Sinclair receives justice, no matter how many rich and powerful people want to make this case go away.

One thing you can count on — No matter how many threats we receive and no matter how much advertising we lose, we are going to continue to fight for justice for Katherine.



51 comments:

Anonymous said...

So the rich and powerful MUST buy advertising and do business with the paper because the paper says so. Ok.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like an episode of Serial podcast.

Anonymous said...

@12:50 - I know you are from Mississippi and all, but you really can't be that stupid to miss the intent of the editorial, right?

Anonymous said...

Yes, the writer is a bit smug regarding his position. But it is hard to dispute that this smells of a cover up.

Anonymous said...

Can someone familiar with the FSOJ explain to the rest of the state what is going on here?

Anonymous said...

KF - are you suggesting that we should accept this one (obviously very biased and opinionated) description of the issue here as correct? Certainly there is another side - unless again the Free State of Jones is different than all the rest of the world. Change the names, dates and places - Ferguson, Baltimore, LA, etc. How many times has the 'reporting' (granted this is an editorial not a reporting, but lets don't split hairs here) turned out to find that the opinions of some don't fit the truth when all the details are disclosed.

I have no idea what happened in this case. And frankly I don't particularly care other than hope that eventually all the questions surrounding what appears to have been a terrible situation are answered. But to bitch because someone chooses to cancel their advertising - for whatever reason - is nothing but bitching.

When the Dixie Chicks lost sales because of their statements regarding the President and bitched, it was the same thing. Everyone is free to express their opinion, but one must be willing to accept the opinion of others in whatever way they (legally) choose to offer it. Many quit buying the Chicks music; many quit playing it because their audience didn't like their stand. Others ordered more copies. What the hell, the Chicks survived.

If the Laurel paper can't stand the heat (financially) then they don't need to be in the business. What makes this case particularly different than many, though, is stated in the opening sentence. Wonder if they would feel this strong if the incident had occurred to someone in the other side of time and involved individuals they had no relationship with or connection to. Would they even bother to write about the LPD investigation?

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a real newspaperman, one that doesn't write, rewrite, and rewrite again the favorite topics of the day (racism, Trump, racism). Sounds like someone that gives a shit about his community and has a sense of justice. They should hire him at the Clarion Ledger. Oh right, unless there's a racial angle, we're not interested.

Anonymous said...

I am sorry for the loss of a young girl's life.
BUT this is beyond a newspaper editorial. This is an unprofessional use of ink and paper to whine and complain about lost ad revenue. There is an ongoing battle in the two media divisions - advertorial and editorial, and an advertising client has every right to and often does cancel contracts based on disagreements with the news division. Add to it that this is a small community. So the Sanderson marketing director is an in-law of the accused. The victim is possibly a first cousin once removed or close friend of the Publisher. Forget about getting a fair jury pool from the area.

Anonymous said...

Y'all are right that advertisers are free to pull their advertising, but newspapers are also free to call them out on it in situations like this.

Here, the newspaper is reporting on what appears to be the coverup of a homicide, and a/the suspect is someone who seems to get special treatment from local law enforcement on a routine basis.

Those of you who are so supportive of the company's freedom to pull advertising dollars should be equally supportive of the newspaper's freedom to publish what's going on behind the scenes.

KF, your readers typically like the "truth to power" thing. Are your hits from Jones County higher than normal today?

Kingfish said...

It says in the first paragraph it is an editorial. That means a printed opinion. Pay attention.

Anonymous said...

Odd, unless Im reading wrong, page "3 of 10" has Freeman already rendering aid to Sinclair when Graeser arrived. Then page "5 of 10" says Freeman arrived went to garage where Graeser had already arrived and made initial contact. Cops can't decide which cop was on scene first? I'm a former Laurel resident and find it interesting....

Anonymous said...

There is NO TOPIC that will not find a bunch of experts on this board along with their willingness to share such expertise at the drop of a hat.

Anonymous said...

2:45 - yes, just like the comment posted 11 minutes before yours (that's 2:34 for the current students at JPS).

As said there: "Here, the newspaper is reporting on what appears to be the coverup of a homicide".

Problem with this is that the newspaper is "reporting" on what "appears to be". I thought reporters dealt with what was known or facts. Yes, this claims to be an editorial and as such they are free to offer opinions. But besides their opinion about the guy that they are sure is guilty, they are slamming the local LEOs as being party to a coverup, based on their opinion.

I am sure that the LLC has more information about this case than all the posters here, including myself. But to make these kind of accusations while bitching about others that have a different opinion, or connection, than the newspaper editor's carries this a step too far. If they want to write an editorial about the LEO's inappropriate actions - or what they think are inappropriate - do so. Don't connect it to the advertiser. If they want to bitch about losing advertising because of their editorial stance, don't. Keep your ink dry but bitch amongst friends. The business of the paper and the opinions about what is right or wrong in the community are two separate issues. Journalism 201. But then again, these are probably not journalism graduates but rather former interns at the CL.

Anonymous said...

I know absolutely nothing about this case but I am 100 percent certain that there is NO newspaper in America that can "take the high road" on anything. They are corporate owned and operated and their objective is to make money in any way that they can. Sanderson Farms pulled a lucrative account and they are furious over the lost revenue. The only real purpose for any of today's newspapers is to line the bottoms of bird cages....preferably birds that cannot read.

Anonymous said...

Every person I've ever met from Laurel has been crazier than a road lizard.

And 3:24, please keep up. It's an effing editorial, not a reporting. Words matter.

Anonymous said...

While I don't disagree with your (3:24's) opinion about the quality of newspapers, I would question the basis.

Corporate owned? Anything in particular wrong with corporations?

Objective is to make money? Isn't that what businesses - even newspapers - are in business for?

Overall, many newspapers have lost the concept of actually reporting, and yes even investigating, news issues. A loss for all of us, whether we want to admit it or not. But they are in fact businesses and as such must first look at the bottom line.

Check with some of your favorite bloggers - KF for example. See if he is producing this site just for the fun of it, or to keep those of you informed that don't bother to do your own research. You will quickly learn that those ads over there on the right are his main purpose. Without them, he would not continue this site. And also, you can't use this to line the bottom of your birdcage.

Kingfish said...

I suspect what happened was the paper had a cozy relationship with the police and was able to get police reports that weren't redacted much. Something every PD or SO is free to do and is encouraged because transparency is a good thing. However, the redactions are legal. There is a bare minimum that is required by law and the D.A. and police probably stayed legal.

The facts of the case so far raise suspicion and it will be interesting to see what the grand jury does.

Sandersons probably should have waited a while to cancel advertising. Removing advertising ensnares them to some degree and gives them a PR black eye they probably don't want or need. Sometimes the best thing to do is to do nothing.

Anonymous said...

If anyone is ever charged (not real likely) they will probably suffer from affluenza.

Anonymous said...

Get over yourself @3:24.

Anonymous said...

Anybody care to wonder why this guy has so much pull in the county? Smells like organized crime to me.

Weingarten said...

Pulling Sanderson Farms products from the shopping list on my refrigerator door.

Anonymous said...

This is exactly what rang throughout the hollowed halls of the CL when it began losing all of its advertisers. It was everyone else's fault, we are "the paper" how dare they cross us, we can control the narrative, we can impact you in ways you don't know. Then reality set in. The paper is no more. It is simply paper. No amount of instant storylines, no amount of videos on their "digital" paper can save them. They WERE TOO LATE to respond.

The writer's opinion is frankly sour grapes because the light of the end of the tunnel went out years ago.

Anonymous said...

Smarter minds than me, explain why on page 4, Burroughs was brought into the station and turned over to the booking officer for processing. I thought the entire argument in the editorial is that he didn't get arrested or booked.....or not having ever had to personally go in like Mr. Burroughs did, to make a statement, is this standard procedure when getting a statement from a witness?

Anonymous said...

Whoa...don't go so fast to cast any doubt on this reporter. Don't forget that many small communities operate like this. Sad to say, there are some spineless people who won't speak up. This is why Mississippi is listed as the most corrupt state in the nation. When you are more corrupt than Louisiana then you have a problem. There is no telling how many innocent people have gone to prison ms even died because of money, dirty lawyers and dirty judges.

KaptKangaroo said...

This doesn't sound like corruption.

Opinion does not meet up with the report, despite the salacious description of the deceased. Facts don't really point in any direction.

Unfortunately, as he accuses others, the writer fancies his stature in the community as still relevant and does not understand why someone who is probably their largest advertiser dropped their ad spend. It is called the Internet. Al Gore invented it, remember?

It is incredibly upsetting to hear about someone losing their life so young. How does an Op/Ed piece lead to raising suspicion? Maybe if the author did something reporters used to do - anyone remember investigative reporting? - maybe, we all would be a bit more interested, including the FBI. Otherwise, it really does look like he is trying to get back his advertising by defaming Sanderson. There are many different directions he could have chose, it is unfortunate he went down the grocery aisle rag route.

This guy floated a trial balloon. Nothing more, nothing less. And he is facing the end of his legacy. It is sad, but it is true.

Anonymous said...



"Every person I've ever met from Laurel has been crazier than a road lizard..."
August 2, 2017 at 4:01 PM

That's been my impression, too. And the area has a REPUTATION for brutality. The timber barons may have left some nice buildings in Laurel. But the human capital remaining in the town, seems lacking.

And I'm guessing that most of the posts on this thread, are from Laurel - maybe from persons allied with Burroughs (who sure does look OLD, for a 38-year-old, if Google Image pulled up the right photos...). Or maybe the posters with their oddly-similar style of belittling, are residents of Windemere? (That is assuming more than one person made all those posts. As we've seen in years of anti-Mayor-Mary posts, all it takes, is ONE somebody's alcoholic brother-in-law, who can't practice law anymore, to be paid five-bucks-a-post, to generate dozens of "subtle" "psychological" posts).

And to answer this observation:
"Anybody care to wonder why this guy has so much pull in the county? Smells like organized crime to me." August 2, 2017 at 6:14 PM

Well, Sullivan's Hollow is only 28 miles away from Laurel. That's the family who pioneered and populated the region. Read about them. Lots of them, today, are rich and powerful. Laurel would have been the closest city for descendants of that clan to move to, probably starting during the timber boom, when Laurel was a glitzy and happening place. So yes: the Laurel area probably has at least one deeply-entrenched 'parallel power structure'.

Anonymous said...

Sanderson Farms advertises in this paper for one reason and one reason alone, to keep this newspaper alive. Now that this paper is obviously failing, they feel like they can now blame it on Sanderson Farms for pulling the advertising. Why is it that nobody is responsible for their own failures? I have never (before) heard a negative comment about the Sanderson's and their contributions to the Laurel area.

Anon-E-Mouse said...

Remember when alaurel was a relevant town? Me neither.

Anonymous said...

As a former Laurel resident, this is more plausible than most think. It's hard to put into words how backwards that place is. The best decision of my life was to move from that place. And for those Jackson haters, Jackson is much better than Laurel/Jones County. I will say that although unlikely, if the D.A. gets his nads caught in this, I'll be on the steps of the courthouse with balloons and confetti to watch that perp walk.

Anonymous said...

I'm from Laurel, but I don't consider myself to fit your description. I've lived in the metro for over 25 years, but Laurel is home to me. There are many well respected metro area residents from Laurel. Just like anywhere, Jones County has its share of crazies. I will say that this sickens me. Anyone found to be influenced to assist in this coverup should be charged. Anyone who doesn't first call 911 to try to do everything possible to save someone who they supposedly love & supposedly did this to themselves, but makes several calls to help save himself instead.... GUILTY. I'm ashamed of DA Tony Buckley's role in this. He should be outraged & assuring the public that justice will be served, but instead, he's just downplaying everything.

Anonymous said...

Many of these comments are a good indication of one of the problems we wrestle with in Mississippi. We tend to be very territorial, i.e. Brandon is better than Pearl, Madison is better than Ridgeland, Oak Grove vs Hattiesburg, and so on. If it helps you to sleep tonight by bashing people that you don't know in Laurel, then good. Point of the whole editorial is that a young lady has died under questionable circumstances and the public wants to know why. I hope nobody is railroaded or wrongly convicted but, if found guilty under the rule of law, then justice should be served. It's really sad that a young lady died and all we can say is "Jackson is much better than Laurel/Jones County".

Anonymous said...

KF- You either have some really dumb readers or a couple of people who are posting on behalf of SF. Reading comprehension isn't that difficult is it?
While it is not clear if a crime was committed or if SF is "covering up" it is clear that they do not wan't reporters or anyone else questioning what happened her. JJ is a small blog in the world of reporting so the rest of us can make sure that this story gets the attention it deserves by re-posting in other sites and making reporters at other, larger, publications aware of the issue. Then the LPD, SF, and the Burroughs will have not have any choice but to investigate this issue and let the facts come to light.

Anonymous said...

8:10- Oh, so the purpose of corporate advertising is to save newspapers? Site your source please. Your Laurel is showing.

Anonymous said...

Send Tony Buckley back to England.

He is a puppet of Joe Sanderson. No more Sanderson Farms for me.

Anonymous said...

Greg Burroughs is a murderer! His daddy's money won't buy him out of this mess. He IS going to JAIL. I bet he is a cry baby punk that has always had anything he wants, but now he is going to jail for a long time. Then take down the corruption inside and out of the courtroom. He ought to be pissing in his pants now. Laurel Community won't allow his punk ass get away with his crime in their city.
Sinclair family, sorry for your loss of a loved one by a brat scumbag. Never give up until he is sitting in jail.

Anonymous said...

http://jonesso.com/inmate-roster?view=JCADF0000090443

https://nuwber.com/person/563a7a58e0cd4806cb6f5b26

http://www.burroughscompanies.com/

Anonymous said...

Newspaper can print what it wants. Sponsors and advertisers can spend their own money the way they want.

Anonymous said...

Just by way of info for the uninformed the editorialist is also the owner of LLC. Uniquely this a locally owned newspaper. Since this tragic event occurred LLC has probably run at least 5 or 6 front page articles about this death.There are a lot of unanswered questions. At this stage it can be categorized as real mystery as to what actually happened based on the known facts.
Yes there are a lot of crazies in the Pine Belt as there in every other corner of Mississippi.

Anonymous said...

Surprisingly, today's headline was not: Leader-Caller Article Leads to a Run on Tyson and Pilgrim's Pride Chicken Products: Mississippians question how they consume their bird.

Anonymous said...

To follow up my 8:10 anonymous post another article appears on the front page of the
LLC today regarding the tragic death of Ms Sinclair. The article is written by Mark Thornton who is the actual lead editor of the LLC. Cegielski is publisher/owner. This will be the third article Thornton has penned since July 27 on the same subject. All have a negative slant towards Burroughs. Frankly for the outsider and info available it is easy to develop a unfavorable opinion of Mr Burroughs regarding women and personal judgement. Time will tell as the story continues to unfold.

Anonymous said...

I have no skin in this game. I just read Jackson Jambalaya on occasion and also anonymously opine on occasion.

I am a retired investigator and have a myriad of experience in business, politics, military, etc. Take it for what it is.

There is an individual here with an agenda, the editor. It is obvious he is using is paper as a bully pulpit, regardless of whether his assertions are right or wrong.

The problem I see with this is the time. The incident occurred 01 JUNE. The response to the FOI request is dated 21 JUNE, so the FOI request on a suspicious death was made less than three weeks from the incident.

The press (in this case this newspaper) does have responsibilities not inherent in others, such as the advertiser or the average citizen. Editorial or not, a publisher opining on something so strongly with nothing but vague assertions of a circumstantial nature is irresponsible.

He double-down on it with the quoted editorial, but likely was applying more or similar pressure to the local department and DA office, which would be why he is not getting access to information like he likely was. That whole responsibility of press thing.

The editor has removed the objectivity from "the press" and is paying that price, as he should. Maybe that price is worth it and he is righteous in his intent. Sometimes we have to do things that hurt us or others to do what's right.

But the Sanderson Farms thing just seems like an attachment issue to which he is trying to take a shot at something bigger and ignoring that HE may be the very reason that Sanderson Farms no longer provides advertising support to the paper.

Anonymous said...

"I’ve watched enough true crime shows such as Dateline and 48 Hours to know that the evidence leading up to what really occurred that night was probably inside the house."

This statement summarizes the lack of all journalistic integrity...

Anonymous said...

If you've never heard a negative comment about the Sandersons you're either deaf or never been to Jones County. They've had a class action lawsuit against them for hiring illegals, and the contract growing system used by the whole poultry industry has been the subject of several investigative reports.

Anonymous said...

Everybody remember "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil?"

Anonymous said...

I don't know any of the parties involved or even live in that area, but I do know that when a woman dies a violent death, and the only person present at the time was her partner with previous domestic charges... you'd better take a long, hard look at all of the evidence before accepting a explanation of a "suicide" or "tragic accident".

KF, I hope you'll continue to cover this. If Burroughs killed this young lady, he should be subject to the same sentence as any other murderer. Sadly, in too many cases, you get only the justice you pay for.

Anonymous said...

Just wait Jerry Mitchell and the Fibbies are snooping around Jones County. That can't be good for Burroughs, the LEOs, prosecuters or the Judges.

Anonymous said...

Wow, the same folks defending Sanders Farms and the Burroughs Klan want to say Robert Smith committed a crime by helping out the son of one of his mother's friends. Isn't that just good old boy politics?

Anonymous said...

Burroughs is only 38? I'd have guessed 50. He needs to lay off the sauce.

Anonymous said...

Actually all you non FSOJ folks calling this newspaper greed is ridiculous. This writer is a long time guy in our area. Not only was the woman killed under suspicious circumstances the arrestee made 3 phone calls to officials other than 911 before placing that call. The arrested is the nephew of the owner of Burroughs Diesel. The head of this company is very wealthy in the FSOJ and has no sons. His three nephews work for him. The ad pull was intimidation to back off. The writer isn't worried about his cash flow he seriously wants people to know his paper is being treated this way for reporting the truth. any other BS you guys are coming up with is false.

Anonymous said...

Katherine will never get a fair trial in Laurel I hope they move it to somewhere else!

Anonymous said...

What more do you all expect from a place you pass through and get a seatbelt ticket and end up on probation ligning pockets of who know who good luck with this I don't know if he did it or not but if he did he will probably get away with it because of his status quo..



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Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.


Note: Security provided by INS.

Trollfest '07

Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

Note: Security provided by INS
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