BATESVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Prosecutors in Mississippi insist they’re trying the right man for an awful crime, the killing of a woman who was set on fire on a backroad.
FILE – In this Oct. 16, 2017 photo, Quinton Tellis sits during his trial in Batesville, Miss. A second trial is set to begin Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018 on charges that Tellis set Jessica Chambers on fire, leading to her death. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, Pool, File)
But the first day of the murder retrial of Quinton Tellis was dominated by emergency workers who said a dying Jessica Chambers told them “Eric” had attacked her.
Prosecutors tried to deflect that testimony with a speech pathologist who said Chambers was burned too badly to speak clearly.
They’re promising evidence linking that will prove Tellis murdered Chambers, including cellphone locations, DNA on a keychain, Tellis’ own statements and a witness who may testify that she picked up Tellis that night near where Chambers was burned.
Defense lawyers are urging jurors to trust the emergency workers testimony’ about the victim’s last word.
© Copyright 2018 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
