A Starkville Police Department radio operator is in jail after being arraigned on a second-degree murder charge in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court on Wednesday.
A grand jury indicted Latice Fisher, 32, on Jan. 5 on the charge in the death of her newborn child. According to the indictment, she killed the baby on April 28, 2017.
Fisher turned herself in and was arraigned in court on Wednesday. She’s been booked in the Oktibbeha County Jail, where she remains with bond set at $100,000.
Oktibbeha County Corner Michael Hunt said Fisher attempted to deliver the baby at home, but it was pronounced dead after arriving at OCH Regional Medical Center.
“It was a home birth,” he said. “The baby was transported to OCH in cardiac arrest and it was pronounced dead at the hospital.”
Hunt said the body was sent to the state crime lab in Pearl last year. However, he said he has not had a chance to review the files because he was unaware of the pending indictment.
“I haven’t had a chance to review the file to see if everything has been done,” he said. “Usually, the district attorney can go into the system and get the information, but I’m not sure exactly where we’re at yet.”
Aldermen approved Fisher’s hire with as a radio operator, with a pay of $11.01 per hour, on the Feb. 21, 2017. City officials confirmed her employment status to The Dispatch. However, officials declined to comment on any potential termination, citing it as a personnel matter.
The board is scheduled to take up an personnel matter during executive session of its meeting Tuesday.
Fisher’s court date is currently set for April 23.
According to Mississippi Code Sec. 97-3-21(2), second-degree murder is punishable by either life in prison, or 20-40 years in prison, depending on the decision of a jury at a sentencing hearing after a conviction.
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