Injuries included a brain bleed
The attorney for a Mississippi State University student is demanding the Oktibbeha County District Attorney and MSU leadership take action against MSU football player Demonte Russell after he allegedly "cold-cocked" the student, causing serious injury.
Jeff Reynolds, attorney for Lester "Trace" Howell of Clinton, stated in a letter sent to District Attorney Scott Colum yesterday:
I am writing this letter on behalf of my client, Mr. Lester Riley Howell, III, who goes by“Trace.” Trace who was brutally assaulted on May 8, 2024, by Mr. DeMonte Russell. Trace just completed his junior year at Mississippi State University and is on the Dean’s List for this last semester. He is a political science major on MSU’s pre-law track, the President of MSU’s Pre-Law Society (two years running) and has also served as the Vice President of the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. Trace has also served as a MSU Student Association Senator all three years of school and was recently elected by the Senate to be the Speaker of the Senate for the coming school year. I am close friends with Trace’s father, Mr. Les Howell, and have known their family for many years.
Trace was sucker-punched by Mr. Russell as he was leaving Two Brothers Smoked Meats in Starkville. The attack, which was observed by several witnesses, occurred around 11:30 p.m. Trace was punched with such force that he was knocked out cold and, having no control of his body, fell backwards and struck his head on the concrete. As a result of the assault, Trace was left with a grossly swollen jaw and suffered head trauma requiring the placement of staples in the back of his head. Trace first received help from first responders before being transported by ambulance to Oktibbeha County Hospital (“OCH”), where he underwent tests that showed he had (1) bleeding in two areas in his right frontal brain lobe and (2) two bulging discs. The doctors at OCH placed three staples in Trace’s head wound to close it up. After further testing and consultations with a neurologist at Methodist University in Memphis (“Methodist”), the treatment team decided that Trace needed to be immediately transported to Methodist via ambulance to receive better care under the head trauma team there. On Saturday (May 11, 2024), new testing confirmed the bulging discs but showed that the bleeding in the frontal brain lobe to have finally stopped and Trace was discharged that afternoon. Trace could not chew for several days due to his injured jaw, and he continues to suffer extensive pain from the attack, very significant fatigue, and currently has no sense of smell. Trace’s father has already provided copies of some of Trace’s medical records to Sgt. Scott Lomax (KF: Starkville PD), who is in the process of obtaining certified copies directly from the medical providers.
It should be noted that Trace’s attacker is a red-shirt senior defensive end for MSU and is listed as being 6’4” and 280 pounds. Trace, by contrast, weighs around 150 pounds. As reported by news outlets, Mr. Russell has a violent history stained by alcohol abuse. Trace had never encountered Mr. Russell before the attack—it was a random act of violence. Trace, quite frankly, is lucky to be alive. (KF: Russell was apparently arrested in 2023 for a DUI. The disposition of the case is unknown.).Since the attack, Mr. Russell contacted Trace directly via Instagra and admitted to his criminal aggravated assault. I have enclosed a screenshot of the admission.
Please take this letter as my request, on behalf of Trace, that Mr. Russell be charged with felony aggravated assault due to the seriousness of the injuries sustained by Trace and held to fullest account for this senseless and brutal attack. As you are aware, a person is guilty of aggravated assault if he attempts to cause serious bodily injury to another or, in fact, causes such injury. See Miss. Code Ann. § 97-3-7(2)(a)(i) (“A person is guilty of aggravated assault if he or she (i) attempts to cause serious bodily injury to another, or causes such injury purposely, knowingly or recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.”) (emphasis added). Intent is irrelevant, although Mr. Russell obviously intended to seriously injure Trace. This case far exceeds mere simple assault. See Jones v. State, 378 So. 3d 440 (Miss. Ct. App. 2024) (if the aggressor merely attempted to cause or caused bodily injury, the charge would be simple assault; however, if the aggressor attempted to cause, or caused, serious bodily injury, the charge would be aggravated assault).
The letter included the text message posted below.
Howell's attorneys sent a similar letter to MSU President Mark Keenum.
Russell is a graduate of Provine High School in Jackson.
Update: Remember that brawl at between Tulsa and Mississippi State at the Armed Forces Bowl a few. years ago?
As for that little text message, Russell must not have watched this scene in The Wire.
73 comments:
Typical meat head. Lock him up.
Can’t get blood out of a turnip. In a perfect world he would be expelled from school do a few years prison time, but we know that’s not going to happen.
Quite typical. He relaxed and turned his back. I doubt he will make that mistake again.
What brought this on? If they didn't know each other, what's the pre-story?
The Howell kid is a really good young man. Good family and he was definitely raised right. I hope msu will have some consequences for a red shirted player. This player isn’t good enough to risk the program. Put the player out of the school and move on you will attract better recruits
file .a civil case before the statute runs and hope this thug gets a big pro contract an burn him in court.
Assaults by football players were swept under the rug all the time when I was at MSU. This is nothing new and part of SEC football culture. Ole Miss has the same problems.
“This player isn’t good enough to risk the program.”
This mindset makes me sick. No player is good enough to get away with something like this.
Truly shameful false idol is college football.
All this tongue-clucking! Look, we’re talking football here, which is important, so y’all need to let this go and just get on with life.
Something something you know the thing, never relax.
At least state’s offense will score some points. Defense will suck fiercely.
Sounds like a racist attack. Hate crime? Oh wait, he is in an exempt category.
F***ing A.
Near the end of the letter, Reynolds set out the legal standard for felony aggravated assault, then said that the facts of this case are far more egregious than those that would warrant a mere misdemeanor assault charge. Yet, no where did I read that this POS was arrested and charged. FOR ANYTHING. What did I miss?
Unless this POS is independently wealthy or the beneficiary of some big time NIL$$, he’s most likely judgment proof. Someone mentioned that the POS wasn’t worth the university’s risk. With this guy’s reputation for getting drunk and starting fights or punching random people, that train may have left the station. Iow, go after the university, the president, the AD, the coach, and John Doe defendants A-Z. They “should have known” the dude was a walking time bomb.
I guess the leg humpers won't be quite as vocal on this story as they are when something happens to a player at the school up north.
That ought to help the season ticket sales!!!! They better get rid of him. This isn’t the first problem he has created and won’t be the last.
check the bowl game fight photo
he had already removed pads and put on street clothes
the game is over
and state had won
but he still wants to fight
a typical SEC punk thug who will be protect by the eternal sophomores of the MSU alumni and others from the ''beautiful people of the SEC club''.....who tend to be lily white bread
those same lily white eternal sophomore and , beautiful people of the sec, will condone anything this thug does so long as it helps them win a chicken manure college football game.
just like all the eternal sophomores of the SEC, THEY LOVE THEIR THUGS on saturday afternoons in the fall but just kind of pretend they dont exist the rest of the time.
How dumb do you have to be to:
1. Sucker-punch a small guy at midnight for no known reason.
2. Email the punchee and say, "Hey man, we cool, OK? I mean, damn man, that ain't me."
3. Be a red-shirt senior.
This is not a he said case. There are witnesses. Victim was transported to the hospital. There is contact by the assailant admitting wrong doing. The question is what’s wrong with the police and DA office? Felony assault.
This culture of behavior by any member on any college team must be stopped as any NFL team cannot afford a player with rage issues. Remember Aaron Hernandez!
I am no lawyer, but admitting to a crime via insta direct message seems like a bad move.
to 9:34.......''whats wrong'' you ask?
see the post at 9:12.....that will explain everything.
Assuming the Pre-Law guy didn’t say the n word or something completely crazy then that player should be expelled. Maybe I would feel different if it weren’t for the Tulsa game.
MS State and Old Miss have an issue. Malik Heath should have never gone to either school and the same appears for this guy.
I know it’s not a paper, but what classes is that player passing on his own by “writing” like that?
Bring on the civil suit. The good ol' boys in the justice system and MSU sports will do nothing.
Ten days since the assault and not so much as an arrest? The cover-up is on. Just j
Did the self admitted assailant redshirt to work on his academics?
Russell was also involved in a major car accident in Starkville a few years ago with other players. I was involved in the legal side, and the accident report was mysteriously never found.
Full speed ahead on all civil and criminal legal avenues against this shiteater.
The victim is lucky to be alive and may very well have long term problems as a result of just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
These athletes are dangerous as hell. They are young, strong, lightning fast and can be lethal.
I would love to see this one in jail along with a nice fat monetary judgement.
"This player isn’t good enough to risk the program. Put the player out of the school and move on you will attract better recruits"
State fan, once again, focusing on the wrong thing.
No arrest !?!?!
He should definitely be prosecuted and the school should kick him out. Won’t happen though.
7:12 asks what about Ole Miss? Kiffin has run off some really good players for much less. One was a 5 star receiver who transferred from Texas A&M.
He thought the guy he hit was someone else. He had already been kicked out of the bar and was outside waiting on him. There’s video and witnesses. The message to the athletic department and administration is this will not be swept under the rug. I’m interested to see where my Alma Mater puts their priorities. Boys will be boys and football players will be stupid but he nearly killed him.
Major: Sports journalism
Minor: Thuggery
@10:32 AM
I’m not able to find the MS statute that states it’s legal to assault someone for saying a racial slur.
I guess the leg hikers at Ole Miss have as pure a record on crime as our dear Lord. Yep, sexual battery, kidnapping, felony DUIs, and drugs drugs drugs DUI ad infinitun. Yep, the Holy Rebels sure have a leg up on other schools. You'd have to be wearing a gas mask bong not to see it.
Jeff Reynolds won't let this go. The family has the right guy on this.
Jeff just put everyone in Starkville on notice. Grab your popcorn.
There's a very thin veneer between college/pro athletics and the penitentiary.
What kind of recruit would want to have team mates like this thug?
Inexplicable. The new "system" we live under is simply not working.
Good luck getting Colom do do anything. His glasses see the room differently. Institutional control. That's what I'm making my basket out of. And I'm putting most of my eggs there right where I can get more people involved in this.
Love to put this crazy mofo in the ring with Mike Tyson and tell him to punch all he wants.
Thus far only valid comments are from Trace’s attorney. Let’s wait & see what the football players representatives have. Probably video exist inside & outside the fine establishment in Starkvegas.
I hope they let him have a radio so he can listen to Ms. State football games this fall.
@1:09
Colum is a Soros DA.....nuff said
'roid rage?
only 10 more comments to reach the JJ gold standard of 50.
nothing gets the eternal sophomores around here as ginned up as dirt about their precious sec alma mater.
truth about most state fans , they never went to college anywhere much less to ms state.
to...10:56 ''dangerous as hell''?...............you make him sound like a combination of john gotti and mike tyson.
does he leap tall buildings in a single bound too?
its just too bad the victim did not have a gun and could have defended himself by blowing this punks stinking head off.
read this slowly #9 and think about it.
3:00 PM I'm an ole miss student and that was just wrong. Hey, it was funny too.
3:15
10:56 here,
Dangerous as hell means exactly what is says however let me clarify:
1) Will beat the shit out of you at the drop of a hat. Incapable of reason and rational thought.
2) Stays coiled and ready to strike at all times. Very entitlement minded due to the ability to chase a ball.
3) Has no reservations about killing you for little to no reason.
If you're still confused, Google NFL multi-million dollar players convicted of assault.
Shouldn't expect too much from football players.
Amazed at Americas infatuation with it.
It's just a game.
He only spilt his drink on the guy, that was the cause
Ms. States bears civil responsibility for cultivating his violent behavior in NOT disciplining him for prior bad act s
Hail State!
Haile State !
Free cheese.
Jerry Clower,
He’s a below average player.
the NIL money can take care of this!!!!!!! or The Bulldog Initiative!!!
Colom is a do nothing DA. IF by chance he gets charged and it goes to the grand jury and he's indicted, Colom will either reduce the charges or send him to some sort of drug court/counseling program. All you have to do is watch the felony arrests and see where someone is still on the street after being arrested 40 something times, and at least half of those are felonies, and then you will realize Colom isn't worthy of holding the DA's position. I know of several cases involving some serious charges that were reduced. Colom was bought and paid for by Soros.
Ms. State is partly civilly responsible for not attempting to correct his past behaviors..PLURAL.
In the 80s I realized that State often took the lowest road concerning the character of its athletes.
If this thug is not properly dealt with, I hope season ticket holders will request their money back and return their tickets.
MSU has always had a fighting culture and it’s not just among athletes. There are more bar fights in Starkville than I’ve seen in any other city in the south. Until the culture at MSU changes, these tragedies will haunt the school and city. It seems they don’t plan to prosecute this case which further proves the point. Too bad the law student wasn’t armed, he would have been well within his rights to put this thug down and could’ve saved himself the hospital trip and long term consequences of his injuries.
I am an MSU graduate. There were about 5 or 6 “football players” that I liked. We absolutely avoided them. This was in the middle 70’s. Apparently has not improved. Why not cancel football? I might start giving money again. BTW , I can afford it.
@6:44 - I'd just send your $50 a year to another charity. State will survive without your support.
@1:13
Agreed. The boys at State seem to have a lot more testosterone than the boys at OM.
Maybe this “jock” can share a cell with Mr Mardis. They both like to sucker punch or take a cheap shot…
#hailstate
Demonte.best be packing bail money with him.
To all you "I Wish He Had Been Armed" posters, know that it is hard as hell to "Defend Yourself With Deadly Force" when you're laying on the concrete Un-Conscious...
@7:27 - you may be right about that, roid rage is a thing. I tend to think it’s the rural culture aspect. There’s a lot of private school kids who try to portray a rural, redneck image and they all want to show they are tough. It’s like a big redneck peacocking show everyday in Starkville.
May 19, 2024 at 11:58 PM, so, you're saying this character is portraying the redneck image? Seriously, that's what you're going with?
State fan here. Kick him out of school.
This kid needs to focus on his own personal problems.
Not sports.
@9:10pm, I knew one of you KF bootlickers would have to bring up Todd Mardis again. This blog has a very unhealthy obsession with Todd and his family.
@9:18 - I think the redneck culture leads to the large number of fights in Starkville. That culture of fighting doesn’t just affect the wannabe rednecks. Everyone who lives in Starkville is endangered by it. In this case, I think it’s likely due to entitlement of a meathead with no fear of repercussions because he’s a football player and has probably gotten away with too much because of his athletic prowess. That and not having the brain cells to comprehend the consequences that would ruin his future. That apology message is embarrassing to read from a college senior.
the last sentence 0f 10:21 is right , this guy writes like a 3nd grader. i know , im a longtime elementary teacher.
I heard Trace got punched for pouring a beer on the guy. Any truth to this?
Why did Russel punch the guy? Russel said in his message that he wanted to talk to him and reacted differently. Why did he want to talk to the guy? There had to have been interaction between the 2 before the incident.
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