William Thomas “Tommy” Chisholm was sentenced to life without parole after an Oktibbeha County Circuit Court jury found him guilty Friday of capital murder.
Chisholm, 44, of Kosciusko, murdered his ex-girlfriend, Dr. Shauna Witt, an optometrist who operated the eye clinic at Walmart Vision Center on Highway 12 in Starkville on Jan. 13, 2018. After the four-day trial, the jury deliberated only 26 minutes before delivering the verdict.
Because Chisholm is convicted of capital murder, the only options are life in prison or the death penalty, the latter of which the victim’s family prosecutors not to pursue. District Attorney Scott Colom said he knows the family can now rest knowing justice is served for Witt.
“This family, they have waited long enough,” Colom said in his closing statement.
See complete coverage of the trial’s final day in Sunday’s edition.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 39 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 39 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion