Justice has been delayed yet again for Chelsie Kirschten. The 24 year-old woman was shot to death on Fortification Street on August 17, 2017. Police arrested a trio of suspects for her murder. However, the trial for one suspect, Lidarious Dixon, was continued because the prosecution could not a medical examiner to testify.
The grand jury indicted Coats, Lidarius Dixon, and Jushun Paige for capital murder, armed robbery, and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. Coats admitted to driving the other suspects to the scene of the murder. The police report stated Nicholas Coats said "Red and Twin got into the Jeep" He drove down Congress and saw Kirschten's white Pontiac G6 GT. Coats said Dixon jumped out of his car with a silver revolver and fired the weapon into the Pontiac as he approached the driver's side window. Kirschten drove off but suddenly died as she drove down Fortification Street. The vehicle crashed near the I-55 overpass. Paige and Dixon have not yet gone to trial. The driver, Nicholas Coats, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is serving a thirty-year prison sentence.
Dixon's trial was scheduled to begin on May 6. However, the prosecution asked for a continuance on April 18 since the Medical Examiner who performed the autopsy on the victim could not appear in court. The motion states Dr. Lisa Funte performed the autopsy for the Mississippi Crime Lab but has since moved to Tennessee. Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Powell-Malik said she had been unable to contact Dr. Funte. The Mississippi Crime Lab has not been "able to confirm date and time availibility for a medical examiner for the Lidarious Dixon trial."
Circuit Judge Adrienne Whooten continued the trial to June 27.
Dixon's public defender, Chris Routh filed a motion to dismiss for failure to provide a speedy trial yesterday. The motion states Dixon has been held without bond for 659 days. He asked for a trial on April 4, 2018. Such a failure violated his constitutional rights.
13 comments:
Dead people must not have constitutional rights.
Sitting in jail for two years without a trial is ridiculous. At the very least, they should be let out of jail until a trial is held if it’s going to take that long.
Not that it's really germane to the topic at hand, but has anyone been able to determine a motive for this shooting? Was it random or did they know the victim?
Not that it's really germane to the topic at hand, but has anyone been able to determine a motive for this shooting? Was it random or did they know the victim?
You've been baiting that hook and fishing since this story first broke in order to find some sort of partial fault equivalency on the victim's part. You aren't fooling the regular readers here.
Justice delayed is just denied.
As a former prosecutor, this denial of not getting a speedy trial seems to have some teeth
New businesses and industry will not locate in Jackson given the judicial system's incompetence. At some point soon, people will only "visit" Jackson as they enter and exit on an interstate highway.
I've never asked the question here or anywhere else, but a friend's daughter had apparently met this girl and I have never heard about a motive either (admittedly, I haven't spent any time seeking info about it). Why is asking about the motive some sort of issue in and of itself?
As Chelsie's mother I can tell you the motive. The intent that night was robbery. Nothing more, nothing less. There were no drugs involved as many have speculated. She wasn't buying drugs and she did not "rip off a drug dealer". She did not in any way know them. The case was investigated by JPD, and a complete 2nd investigation by the DA's office at the request and full cooperation of our family to rule out all the innuendo and street talk so that we knew beyond doubt the truth of my daughter's death.
8:19 AM - I am so sorry for your loss. I pray for real justice.
Ma’am, it is a complete travesty of justice that your daughter’s murderer has not been brought to justice! I’m not an attorney but I would love to know why our AG (Jim Hood) has not stepped up to the plate? People are wanting answers and deserve it. If the race was reversed then believe me things would be different!
let him out, maybe next time he will be caught, tried and sentenced sooner, but i have not confidence in justice.
@6:36
Race has nothing to do with AG not getting involved. The prosecution of this case was initiated by the Hinds County DA’s office. Unless the DA voluntarily recuses his office the AG CANNOT get involved. That is the law. The appropriate question you should be asking is why the DA’s office did not contact the medical examiner in a timely matter. Just so you know the medical examiner is in Maine, not Memphis.
The last point I will make is that the DA’s office can use a medical examiner in the state. The examiner that performed autopsy is not required to move forward with a murder case. You only need a medical examiner that has reviewed the findings of the medical examiner who actually performed the autopsy and AGREES with those findings.
RACE of the victim is not the issue, the INCOMPETENCE OF THE HINDS COUNTY DA’s OFFICE and your IGNORANCE IS
I PRAY THAT THE VICTIM’s FAMILY GETS THE JUSTICE THEY DESERVED
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