An early attempt to dismiss Leslie Sharp”s murder trial went nowhere Monday.
Sharp”s attorney, Jack Brown, rehashed a number of pretrial complaints during a motion for sanctions after the jury was selected, but before any testimony had been heard.
Sharp is accused of the November 2008 shooting of Christopher Cole in Oktibbeha County. According to court documents, Cole was being followed along Rockhill Road by a car full of female acquaintances, including Sharp, when he pulled onto Kelly Road and stopped. The car full of females also stopped and a conflict ensued, during which Sharp allegedly shot Cole on the side of the road. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Sharp claims the shooting was in self-defense.
Brown accused Assistant District Attorney Rhonda Hayes-Ellis of failing to disclose information related to the retrieval of cell phone text message records from Sharp”s phone, victim Christopher Cole”s phone and three eyewitnesses” phones leading up to and immediately following Cole”s death.
Brown went as far as to re-read his pretrial motion in explaining to Judge Lee Howard how he felt Hayes-Ellis had procrastinated in turning over the name of a Mississippi Highway Patrol investigator who looked into the cell phone records, the cell phone carriers of three involved parties and making available a forensic expert who attempted to retrieve some of the text messages.
Hayes-Ellis insisted she had given Brown all the information he sought during pretrial motions.
Satisfied, Howard overruled Brown”s motion.
The majority of Monday”s proceedings were spent seating a jury for the murder trial. Following the motion for sanctions and some additional unexpected delays, Howard was unable to deliver his pretrial instructions to the jury before dismissing for the day and stated that would be first on the agenda when court reconvened Tuesday at 9 a.m.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter 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 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.