One of the Mudbug Festival shooters will serve 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter, drive-by shooting, and no less than seven counts of aggravated assault yesterday.
What should have been a night of family fun turned into a night of terror at Mississippi State Fairgrounds during the Mudbug Festival on April 30, 2022. Two groups of thugs exchanged over 100 rounds in the parking lot behind the Mississippi Trademart that night. A law enforcement officer killed one of the shooters.Hinds County deputies arrested Berry and Leedrick Trim and charged them with murder (felony murder rule) and aggravated assault. A deputy's affidavit states:
The first indictment took place in December 2020. A Hinds County grand jury indicted him for three counts of armed robbery and one count of auto theft. Bond was set at $90,000 but he submitted a request for a mental evaluation, a tactic designed to prolong the prosecution for a few years. The case has been repeatedly continued.
A grand jury served up another batch of indictments against Berry for armed robbery and carjacking in August 2021. The case was continued in February. Believe it or not, Berry was arrested again for armed robbery in July.
The case is assigned to Circuit Judge Faye Peterson. It is Faye Peterson who keeps lowering his bond to where he can get out of jail.
Fast forward to yesterday. Berry pleaded guilty to manslaughter, drive-by shooting, and seven counts of aggravated assault. Judge Peterson sentenced him to serve the maximum 20 years in prison for manslaughter and ten years for each count of aggravated assault. She suspended 10 years of each sentence for aggravated assault although she ordered they run consecutive to the manslaughter sentence.
Judge Peterson also sentenced Berry to serve 20 years for two counts of armed robbery in the 2020 indictment. Part of the 2021 indictment was remanded but the sentencing for the remaining charges was pretty harsh but well-deserved. Berry will serve 20 years in prison for armed robbery. The sentence will run concurrent with the manslaughter and armed robbery sentences. Judge Peterson sentenced Berry to serve 10 years in prison for carjacking but suspended the sentence. If served, it will run consecutiveyly to the armed robbery and manslaughter sentences.
District Attorney Jody Owens told JJ he accepted the manslaughter plea because no gun was found on Berry and it would have been difficult to obtain a conviction of felony murder due to the lack of evidence and the Berry's age. Mr. Owens said
Public Defender Andrew Williams represented Berry.
The grand jury indicted Trim for the same charges. The case is still pending in Hinds County Circuit Court after Judge Peterson severed the case upon a defense motion that she do so.
10 comments:
This is the way.
No gun is required to be convicted of "felony murder." These lazy prosecutors just don't want to go to trial. They live by plea bargains and sentence bargains which makes their conviction stats look good.
I once worked with a Chief Assistant U.S. attorney who had a tough reputation with the defense bar. This went on for years until one high powered criminal defense attorney said "no, we want to go to trial."
Said AUSA literally had a nervous breakdown and retired.
A feral-
I agree with the Commish. Until the laws are changed to prescribe severe punishment for violent crimes, violent crimes will continue to escalate.
The words concurrent
and suspended should be removed from our system of jurisprudence. Other than an emotional reaction to people of the same race, please tell me the societal benefit of either.
This guy had so many charges from different crimes I couldn't even understand them all on the first read-through.
What is the benefit of suspending 10 years other than to terrorize the community more when this guy gets out?
@1:09 PM - the suspension is to allow him time to finish medical school while he is still young.
I am glad he was sentenced because sadly that is how low the bar is these days.
I don't know the answers.
Seems we are just a broken society of heathens with corrupt leaders and judicial systems and punishment is rarely reformative.
Never been pro death penalty and not saying its the way, but I am so tired of paying to house these monsters so they can learn to be better criminals when they get out and/or continue to be a parasite to society.
20 years, he didn't have a gun and he did not kill anyone... I think the punishment is severe! That serious time and plenty of time for him to grow up and come out after he's 40+ years old.
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