What exactly happened on Winchester Street in the early morning hours of June 1?
Jaylon Lawson allegedly lay in wait for his ex-girlfriend at her home on Winchester Street in Jackson in the early morning hours of June 1.
Shots were fired when she, her boyfriend, and two other people returned. When JPD arrived at the scene, Antwan Howell lay dead. Ashton White was rushed to the hospital. He still fights for his life. Two women, Janice Fletcher and Candice Burgess, identified Jaylen Lawson as the shooter. Constance Burgess and Janice Fletcher told the police that after they (Constance Burgess, Antwan Howell, Janice Fletcher and Ashton White) returned from a night of pool that Jaylen Lawson allegedly bushwhacked the group. Constance Burgess and Janice Fletcher told JPD Jaylen Lawson shot the two men. Constance Burgess reportedly was shot but refused to medical treatment
Jaylen Lawson surrendered to JPD last week. This week, JPD arrested Constance Burgess and Janice Fletcher and charged them with hindering a murder investigation. Municipal Judge William Walker released them on their own recognizance even though they stand accused of interfering with a murder investigation.
Lawson was convicted twice of receiving stolen property. A Hinds County grand jury indicted him in April 2019 for armed robbery as a habitual criminal. The indictment included a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm as well. Lawson was denied bond.
However, Lawson got lucky as Circuit Judge Winston Kidd set his bond at $40,000 on December 30, 2020. Lawson posted bond. He was represented by attorney Tom Fortner.
Judge Kidd revoked Lawson's bond on his own initiative due to "media reports" that Lawson was a murder suspect. Fortner withdrew his representation of Lawson on July 8.
However, Lawson was not the only convict present at the scene.
Ashton White has a rather interesting history. White is just your garden-variety house burglar. He was convicted of house burglary in 2011. He was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison but 12 years were suspended. A Hinds County grand jury indicted him in 2016 for three more house burglaries and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Hinds County Circuit Judge Adrienne Wooten reduced his bond from $150,000 to $75,000 in 2019. He promptly bonded out of jail. White still has not gone to trial and unfortunately, it may be quite some time before his case is adjudicated.
White successfully got the District Attorney thrown off the case in March. This being Jackson, White apparently burglarized a prosecutor's home when she was a child. The prosecutor did not disclose the purported conflict until this year. White asked for a recusal and Judge Wooten granted it. The Attorney General is prosecuting the case.
However, White was not done (allegedly) committing crime after he got indicted in 2016. A grand jury indicted him in December for simple assault. The indictment alleges White banged a jailers head against a cage wall, causing a "laceration." in December 2018. So..... White is currently free on bond for multiple indictments as is Lawson.
Catch & release, squawk, catch & release!!!
Kingfish note: Did you get all that?
9 comments:
feral-
Street name fitting
It's a revolving door. SMH
There is a song by Radiohead - Karma Police, and it repeats in my head with each news story in Jackson: "this is what you get..."
^^^ 8:15... Birds of a feather
Throw the damn JUDGE in jail. Problem solved!
Are these the underlying conditions the Mayor has been talking about?
Grown men who are emotionally and mentally malfunctioning are ruining this city. With untrained brains, incapable of making rational, mature decisions, they only react in anger and hate. This misfit had ZERO business being ANYWHERE OTHER THAN PRISON. Mayor Upchuck is a tosser and should be removed for office. And yes,,,they'll vote for him again.
The mayor doesn't pick these judges.
Mississippi was the first State to elect judges.
This may not have been a good idea. Perhaps, at least, we need a bipartisan judicial group ( retired attorneys might be good) to , at least, certify candidates as legally qualified.
Or we could require candidates to provide their LSAT scores, law school class standing and cases where they were the attorney of record. We could see if they were able to make partner in their first law firm.
And, I these days, a complete mental health evaluation and drug testing for anyone running for ANY office is clearly needed!
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