His head "was in his hands crying like a baby." Such were the crocodile tears shed in a courtroom in March before a judge set Seth Rokitka free after serving only a mere 21 months in jail after he ran over an Ole Miss student and killed him while permanently maiming his girlfriend. The news of the release outraged many around Mississippi. JJ obtained a copy of the court hearing transcript so readers can read the play by play on how this travesty of justice took place.
Madison's Walker Fielder was a student at Ole Miss when he was killed. The Jackson Academy graduate was quite popular as he was the Rush Chairman for Sigma Chi. The weekend of October 16 was his 21st birthday. After going out to dinner with his parents at the Grillhouse, Fielder went out with his friends. He wound up hanging out with Blanche Williamson at Harrison's. A night of celebration would soon end in tragedy.
Seth Rokitka and his friend, Tristan Holland, traveled from Memphis to Oxford early that afternoon to party and party they did. Born in 1995, Rokitka is an electrician while Holland was a senior at Collierville High School in Tennessee. The police reports state Holland said Rokitka drank "a couple of beers" on the way to Oxford. The group went to Annex before winding up at Rafters around 4:30 PM. Another witness said Rokitka drank a dozen beers and several mixed drinks.
Fielder and Williamson left the bar and were sitting on a curb in the parking lot behind City Hall at 1:00 AM, October 16. Meanwhile, Rokitka and Holland got into Rokitka's truck to leave. Although Holland saw the couple on his side and yelled at his friend to stop, Rokitka proceeded to run over Williamson and Fielder. Refusing to stop, Rokitka turned right onto Jackson Avenue. Holland jumped out of the vehicle and found another way home.*
Rokitka ran over the couple, killing Fielder and severely injuring Williamson. Fielder soon died. Williamson was covered in blood when police arrived. Clumps of her hair were on the ground. The police report states her pelvic bones were broken and punctured other organs. The young woman spent several weeks in the hospital. Williamson recovered but suffered permanent injury.
Police found Rokitka's wrecked truck on Goodman Road in Marshall County the morning of October 17. Rokitka surrendered at the Lafayette County Detention Center that morning. Unfortunately, it was more than 24 hours after he killed Fielder so there was no BAC.
A detective found an empty Jack Daniels bottle and empty beer cans in the Tundra. There was an unopened bottle of Michelob Ultra as well,. the same beer he drank at the bar.
The police charged Rokitka with aggravated DUI and leaving the scene of an accident with death or injury.
The Lafayette County grand jury indicted Rokitka for aggravated assault, manslaughter, and leaving the scene of an accident nearly two years later. Circuit Judge Kent Smith dismissed the indictment during a change of plea hearing .
The defendant pleaded guilty to aggravated DUI-Death and leaving the scene of an accident on August 26, 2025. Although the maximum prison sentences are 25 years for aggravated DUI-Death and and 10 years for leaving the scene charges, Judge Smith sentenced Rokitka to 10 years in prison for leaving the scene of an accident and 5 years for aggravated DUI-Death. However, the Court suspended the sentence for aggravated DUI-Death and gave him credit for time served in jail. Rokitka served his sentence at the Lafayette County Detention Center .
What did it all mean? After all the legal manuevering, Rokitka would be eligible for release upon serving 25% of his sentence. More importantly, the Court retained a three-year right of review for the case. This is where the fun begins .
Rokitka's lawyer, Kevin Horan, asked the Court for jurisdictional review on February 12, 2026. Since he pleaded guilty, Rokitka could not appeal his conviction but that little right of jurisdictional review meant Judge Smith could change the sentence and change the sentence he did.
Did this post mention Horan is the Chairman of the House Judiciary "B" Committee? Although Horan practices in Grenada, he is well-known in Lafayette's courthouse as he represented high-profile clients such as Sheldon Harrington in the Jimmy "Jay"Lee Murder case.
Horan asked the Court to modify his client's, arguing he was a model prisoner and had impressed jail staff. Assistant District Attorney Honey Ussery objected, stating the killer of Walker Fielder had not even served 25% of his sentence.
Judge Smith held a hearing on March 27 with the Fielder family in attendance. After hearing both sides, Judge Smith released Rokitka from jail in early April after he had only served a mere 21 months of his sentence.
 |
| The Killer |
JJ obtained a transcript of the hearing. The substantive passages are posted below and show the crocodile tears were shed that day in court.
Court: I read the request and the objection to it. Counselor, I'll let you make any statements that you wish. Let me tell you, I remember this tragedy and it's weighed heavily on me, not as the family, but I know the three families were forever impacted. ADA Honey Ussrey: So our concern here is that Mr. Rokitka has served -- and I asked this morning -- a total of 21 months. And that is more than fair given -- actually, not enough given the fact that Walker Fielder is no longer with us. The impact to Ms. Williamson, including the fact that she may or may not be able to have children, the mental health impact that it has had upon her.Mr. Rokitka has served those 21 months at the Lafayette County Detention Center, not in Parchman, not in a facility other than one..
 |
| The victim |
Court: And does that matter? What does that matter? Ussery: Your Honor, it was the understanding of -- when I had a conversation with the family, they understood that he would be processed and go to Parchman...
And so if he had been to serve the full sentence, which they understood -- although we all thought it was a light sentence given the fact that Walker Fielder died as a result, probably. We can't say for sure, but we do -- we can say that he did not get proper medical attention in a timely manner due to the actions of Mr. Rokitka. So that was part of the consideration for the Court, I'm assuming, that he needed some kind of accountability in this case. We do have somebody who has died. We do have another person that's been impacted, Ms. Williamson. And 21 months, Your Honor, is not enough time....
Horan: But the State of Mississippi just indicated that my client did not do anything to allow for Walker to get medical treatment in a timely manner. And during the course, and the Court well knows this because we filed some pretrial motions, the State hired an expert who ultimately indicated to everybody after a bunch of time and effort on both sides, it would not have mattered... My client met me in Oxford, Mississippi three days after this incident with his head in his hands crying -- excuse me. The morning after this incident with his head in his hands crying like a baby. The first thing he told me, he said, I should have stopped. I should have stopped. I should have stopped after I was told I hit somebody. Would it matter, no. He turned himself in and said I don't want a bond, never even asked for a bond. For 15 months he sat over there, because he told his lawyer, unlike 99.9 percent of my clients, that I don't want to get out of jail. I've got to pay for what I did. I left the scene. And he paid more, Your Honor, than leaving the scene after an accident. He pled guilty to a DUI death in a count of the indictment over counsel's advice. Ussery: I don't think he said he would have died. I think that's a misrepresentation. I think he said he would not have been able to make that determination. I think that's a little mischaracterization. He did plea to the Ag DUI....
39 comments:
This shigity happens too often in good ole boy Mississippi, until it happens to their loved ones our friends. Thanks Kingfish for this story!
Mississippi has the best judges that money can buy.
HORAN was also the POS that was trying to lock up public water(mainly for a certain duck hunting lease in Leflore County) and say that 16th section land trust supersedes public access over public, navigable waters. This guy is a piece of work.....
The people of Mississippi quite often get exactly the government they vote for. This is one of those times.
This is really fucking disgusting to read.
Victim blaming.
This is what Mississippi's Justus system looks like when you look under the robes.
We probably shouldn't be hiring attorneys for public office who couldn't succeed in private practice and are only looking for a steady government paycheck.
I am not a lawyer,. I am also not sure what you think the probelm is with the prosecution in this case..
Justice is something one must take for themselves.
You have to remember that Judge Smith could give a rats ass what you think, he is the Law and these are not his family members. Until it hits close to home!!!
Yet another reason that place is a pseudo "Snow Globe Town", as the locals like to call it. It's another dump(albeit nicer than surrounding Sardis, Enid, Grenada, Water Valley, Batesville) town in NE Mississippi.
Buying judges are everywhere, not just in MS. I would say, try hard at being ultra-wealthy, that way you won’t be subject to the law like other people are.
I don’t trust Oxford judges after the Trinidad fiasco. Also, I wonder what happened with those two Ole Miss football players who got DUI’s on the same day last month. For you lawyers, is there a way to find out if those charges were magically dropped?
Horan is a disgusting piece of shit politician.
So that asshole judge is openly casting blame on the girl, for the slow medical treatment?
The same girl...who was also JUST RUN OVER?
He is literally, in writing, accusing her of not telling the truth about the accident and seemingly assigning blame to her instead of the driver? As if her stating they were "jumped" instead of "run over" was the key factor for the ambulance NOT actually helping the victims?
Jesus. What a POS.
Par for the course for Oxford. What a God forsaken place.
Horan and Smith are absolutley content with their involvment in this and whatever compensation they received for their involvement in this horrible case. Decent chance they read this blog and smirk, because they think they are the smartest and greatest in the room. Real shame that unethical slime like this impact the lives of other people.
I'm curious about how and why Rokita remained at Lafayette County Detention Center rather than being transferred to MDOC custody to a facility such as Parchman or other.
What is normally expected to happen in the six months a similar conviction when the convict is and has been in county custody for months pre trial?
@9:34 Horan also draws a check serving as Carroll County Attorney.
In a previous term, Horan serves as Committee Chairman for Corrections.
Maybe it's time for tar and feathers (and other types of public shaming) to return. Drag that judge out to the square and get to work.
If they can march at Walmart - we the people can march at the courthouse in Oxford and Hinds County. It’s high time they know we see them and will get Fox News down here for a review of their cases. Let the truth be told.
The judge checked up on his convict with the Sheriff East (Lafayette County) who just happens to run the Lafayette County Detention Center.
He admits he did this twice, including once before the court received an official request to review.
THE COURT: Here in the Circuit Court of Lafayette County, Mississippi, the Court is going to call on Cause No. LK25-328, State of Mississippi versus Seth Rokitka . This matter is before the Court today on a request for the Court to review his sentence pursuant to the laws of the State of Mississippi, the Court having specifically reserved a right of judicial review. I read the request and the objection to it. Counselor, I'll let you make any statements that you wish. Let me tell you, I remember this tragedy and it's weighed heavily on me, not as the family, but I know the three families were forever impacted. And I've checked in on Mr. Rokitka with Sheriff East and I followed up that check after the request was filed. But having read the pleadings I know, Ms. Ussery, that you probably want to put on a witness or, you know, at least be able to address the Court on it.
Is this an unusual level of service to justice that the judge provided just because he was so bothered by the 'forever impacts' imposed upon Seth Rokita's family by the crimes Rokita committed, pled guilty to, and was sentenced for tin his court?
Or do all the judges provide this type of intervention to all their inmates serving time in Lafayette County?
It just depends on the thickness of the palm grease.
So what If she was almost .4 in alcohol. Is the judge saying that to justify releasing the defendant. She might have thought she got beat up becasue she didn’t know what hit her. I haven’t been to that fucking town in 30 years. I am almost certain I will never return.
Astonishing that residents of Oxford elect such a person.
I wonder if the defendant’s name was “Abdulla Tyrone”, and that he came from the hood, would the judge have been so lenient?
One system for the rich another for everyone else. The rich rarely goto prison or even drafted into the military. Prisons are for poor people and even wars are fought by the poor. Few if any rich people serve in the military
That’s like telling a bank if they didn’t have money they wouldn’t get robed
When you can afford Horan as your attorney, exactly that. And people want to elect billionaires? Cognitive dissonance, I guess.
Oxford and Ole Miss are wonderful places. There are great things happening there. Judge Smith is certainly not one of those things. What he did is nothing less than a disgrace to his robe.
Judge Kent Smith is one of Tate's appointments.
"Gov. Tate Reeves last week announced his appointment of Smith as circuit judge for the 3rd Circuit Court District, Place 3. He replaces John Gregory, who retired June 30.
Smith, 54, of Holly Springs, is believed to be the first circuit judge ever from Marshall County.
“I’m honored and humbled to be chosen by Governor Reeves for this important position,” he said. “I look forward to maintaining the standards that have been set by the judges who have served before me. The 3rd Circuit Court District has been fortunate to have some extremely bright and hard-working judges.”
The 3rd Circuit Court District covers Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Lafayette, Marshall, Tippah and Union counties.
“Kent has been a leader in the legal community in our state for years, working hard to protect the rights of Mississippians and ensure justice for Americans,” Governor Reeves said. “I am grateful that Kent will continue serving the people of Mississippi as circuit judge for the 3rd Circuit Court District.”
https://www.southreporter.com/news/'honored-and-humbled'
You don't have to be rich.
You just need to have enough money to hire the right criminal defense attorney. There are clearly some that are more equal than others in getting things done for their clients.
I wonder how much Kevin Horan was paid for this perversion of the justice system.
Rokitka was sentenced to prison under the "leaving the scene of an accident" charge, not the aggravated DUI. That's how I think this was allowed to happen.
63-11-30(5)(a)(i), aggravated DUI, says "shall be committed to the custody of the State Department of Corrections for a period of time of not less than five (5) years and not to exceed twenty-five (25) years for each death, mutilation, disfigurement or other injury"
Had that sentence not been suspended, and the 10 years imposed under the other charge, I doubt the judge would have had discretion to let him out. It probably also allowed him to stay in the county jail, as 63-3-401(4) doesn't specify the custody of DOC.
What a POS. I wonder if the ADA was aware of this loophole in sentencing when she agreed to the plea deal. I'm quite sure Horan was.
1:56, I don't think it had anything to do with the skin color of the defendant.
I think it had everything to do with his politician attorney, practicing politics. Practicing attorneys should not be allowed to sit on judiciary committees. That, to me, is a clear conflict of interests.
Appointed in 2020
Reelected by Oxford in 2022
Judge Kent Smith is running for reelection unopposed in 2026…
Write-in candidates??? Or just screwed for 4 mo
Can someone please point me to anything that shows this redneck white trash from Memphis was rich?
Don't think he was. He is an electrician, grandfather was one.
Who cares? Yall need to look around - ain’t nobody going to jail. Brash violent crime and zero accountability.
Post a Comment