Jackson Jambalaya

WLBT paid Carly Gregg's father for an interview.  This website hates Bridget Todd, Carly Gregg's lawyer.  Ms. Todd's mom is going to sell t-shirts with Judge Dewey Arthur's face printed on them to raise money for Carly's defense.  Such sensational claims were made by Ms. Todd on a recent podcast.  

Ms. Todd appeared on a follow-up 2-hour 47-minute podcast with New York attorney Melanie Little on September 28 after discussing the case with Ms. Little in an earlier podcast that lasted two hours. Yes, they spent five hours discussing the case but don't worry, in case you did not get enough coverage, they later dropped a podcast over three hours long.   

Very few people have the time or inclination to watch a three-hour podcast so yours truly watched it and took notes.  Posted below are the notes and highlights of the podcast. 

* Ms. Little made no bones about where her sympathies lie as she opened the podcast by stating children should not be tried as adults.  With that little preamble out of the way, Ms. Little and Ms. Tood took to smearing WLBT.  

* Carly's father, Kevin Gregg, was interviewed by two WLBT reporters on September 26.  Ms. Little said Kevin Gregg sold the interview (11:30) as well as Carly's baby pictures to WLBT.  The New York attorney said "Obviously he wants to sell his story."  Ms. Todd couldn't help herself as she chimed in "I find it interesting he won't pay child support but wants to make money off his daughter."  

Ms. Todd again said Kevin Gregg was making money off his daughter (53:00).  

Sensation claims, if true.  However, there is just one problem.  Kevin Gregg did not sell anything to WLBT.  WLBT News Director Charles Jones said the tv station has never paid for an interview nor would it do so.   This would not be the only time Ms. Todd blatantly lied about WLBT.  

*. Ms. Little erroneously claimed Carly could not get a public defender in Mississippi (21:20).  Um, not so fast, my Yankee friend.  Carly could have qualified all day long for a public defender.  However, Ms. Todd somehow got to Carly Gregg and entered an appearance as her lawyer.   Thus the Court did not address the issue of appointing a public defender because Carly already had a lawyer.  

If Carly had fired Todd and pleaded indigency, the Court could have appointed a public defender.  Aafram Sellers would have probably gotten the case.  

* The two women repeatedly slammed Dr. Jason Pickett, the prosecution's expert rebuttal witness.  Dr. Pickett is board-certified in forensic psychiatry.  However, Ms. Todd vehemently argued he was not qualified to be an expert witness because he was not board-certified in child and adolescent psychology. They took turns blasting him for his $51,000 bill.   

* The conversation turned to Kevin Gregg.  Ms. Todd pointed out he did not attend any of his daughter's hearings or her trial.  She said he beat Ashley, Carly's mother, and was abusing Carly.  She claimed he tried to get Carly to do acid with him when she was seven or eight years old. (59:00). The attorney said Carly was afraid of her father because he (allegedly) abused and traumatized her.  

* The two gals made up more claims about WLBT.  Ms. Little said there were "outtakes" where Kevin admitted Carly was in equestrian therapy when she was a little girl.  Ms. Todd said she could not get any records of such therapy as the owner had moved out of state very long ago.  

They repeated the debunked claim that the reporter told co-counsel Kevin Camp that Kevin Gregg said his daughter was in such therapy because she was hearing voices.  Ms. Todd said she was putting that "fact" into her motion for a new trial because that is evidence. 

Um, there is just one problem.  There is no evidence Kevin Gregg said any such thing.   WLBT interviewed Kevin Gregg via zoom.  Thus the entire interview was recorded on WLBT's computer.  There were no "outtakes."  WLBT reported on September 27: 

But a thorough review of the transcript of that interview and the reporters who worked on the story reveal Carly’s father never said anything about that.

Around 4:30 p.m., Friday, WLBT reached out to Bridget Todd to ask her why that was included in the appeal. She has yet to respond. Article and video.

So Ms. Todd had plenty of time to blab about her false accusations but didn't have time to respond to WLBT on the previous day.  Got it.  

* Ms. Todd said (1:27) that she and Kevin Camp have "tried many criminal cases."  Um, Mr. Camp has.  Indeed, this website first came across the lawyer in the Clayton Kelly case ten years ago.   However, a review of the Madison, Rankin, and Hinds County circuit court dockets reveal Ms. Todd has handled not one, not two but three criminal cases, including the one at hand.  Three.  Yeah.  

* Carly's attorney praised her stepfather, Heath Smiley, for having the "guts" to stand up to law enforcement and standing by his step-daughter.  Ms. Todd said Carly had much to give to society and wanted to go to MIT while calling prison " a drain on society."  

* The defendant wore a "schoolgirl" outfit several times to Court.  Ms. Todd said she picked out the apparel.  

* Ms. Todd claimed yet again Carly was held in solitary confinement with no music, no tv, no internet.  She was only allowed to have books.  

Well, much of what the attorney said is true but some facts were omitted.  

Carly was not held in solitary confinement per se.  Juvenile murder suspects can not be held at the youth detention center, thus Carly must be held at the Rankin County detention center.  However, she must be kept away from adults.  Ask Hinds County about that issue.  The feds busted the Hinds County Sheriff bigly for not segregating juveniles from adults.  

The Sheriff's office provided a tablet to Carly.  The tablet allowed Carly to face-time her family and friends.   The logs show Carly spent much of her time talking to her loved ones.  So yes, she was kept isolated because there were no other teen murder suspects in Rankin County but thanks to technology, she was allowed to communicate with those important to her.   

* Ms. Little urged her viewers to donate to Carly's defense fund.  $2,000 was raised during the podcast.  The lawyer agreed with a viewer who commented Carly was getting a longer sentence than P. Diddy.  

* Carly's expert psychiatrist, Dr. Andrew Clark, charged $10,000.  

* Not all Melanie Little viewers sympathized with Carly.  One viewer wrote Carly killed her mother in "cold blood."  Ms. Todd challenged the statement as she said "you don't know, you weren't there, you don't know Carly, you don't have an understanding of mental illness."   No, Miss Todd, we just have a videotape.  

* Some wondered why Carly did not take the stand.  Ms. Todd said they did not have time to prepare Carly to testify since the trial date was coming so quickly.  

Well, Ms. Todd, that is why you ask for a continuance.  You keep complaining about the speedy trial date but neither you nor your co-counsel asked for a continuance.  

* Ms. Todd complained several times Carly could not get a jury of her peers.  She said if 14 year olds can be tried as adults, then their jury peers should be her age.  

* "Ashley would be rolling in her grave if she knew Carly was in prison for life," exclaimed Carly's lawyer.  Well, Ms. Todd, there is a reason the Court does not always consider the wishes of crime victims.  

Remember the Todd Mardis case?  Even though he brutally beat his wife within an inch of her life, she asked the Court to not give him any jail time, a common plea by victims in domestic violence cases.  Probably few mothers would want to see their teen children locked up for life if they engage in matricide.   However, the Court's role is to administer justice.  A woman was killed in cold blood by her 14 year-old daughter.  Period.  The mother can't testify obviously but the Court should ignore her wishes if she could.  

*  Bridget Todd said her mother is going to make t-shirts of Judge Arthur slamming his fist down while saying "Let take a pregnant pause" and sell them to aid Carly's defense.   (2:33). The attorney said she will create an Amazon gift list for Carly.  

*  The Rankin County attorney also said she has practiced before in front of Judge Arthur.  Oh really?  Ms. Todd has two civil cases assigned to Judge Arthur.  One was filed in March while the other was filed in May.  

* Now the fun begins.  Ms. Todd said at the very end of the interview "Some local blogger apparently hates Kevin and I, it's really bizarre.  You can hate me all day because I don't think  about you at all."  

Um, Ms. Todd, you, like many people, mistake criticism for hatred.   The Kingfish does not hate Ms. Todd.  She is treated the same way as Carlos Moore is treated on this website.  

Ms. Todd botched the Carly Gregg case.  She repeatedly blew off deadlines and court orders.  The judge flat out said she was conducting "trial by ambush."  She made up a bogus Brady motion and lied to the Court about it.  She lied to the Court about WLBT when she filed a motion for a new trial.  She falsely accused WLBT of paying Kevin Gregg for an interview.  She did not ask for a continuance when one was desperately needed and admitted she did not argue for leniency at sentencing because she was too emotionally involved with her client.  

But for Mr. Moore and possible Paul Winfield, JJ has never observed such a sloppy and dishonest practice of law.  That is why JJ is covering this case after Carly Gregg was convicted.  

One final question. If Ms. Todd doesn't think about criticism, why does she argue with commenters on WLBT's Facebook page? Why was she arguing with a podcaster about the Carly Gregg case at 1 AM the day of sentencing?  Just curious.