WEST POINT – A circuit judge declared a mistrial in a 2022 murder trial Thursday after it was revealed during deliberations that one of the jurors may have witnessed the crime.
The jury, after nearly two hours of deliberation following a four-day trial, sent a note to the courtroom on the juror’s behalf asking the court if it was an issue that the juror lived at the apartments where the shooting happened and heard the gunshots at the time.
After receiving the note and speaking with the juror, Judge Lee “Jay” Howard V told the courtroom he was declaring a mistrial in the case.
Jaylan Heard, 24, is accused of being part of a group of seven co-defendants who shot and killed Jerni White, then 22, during a Sept. 25, 2022, shootout outside Timberlane Apartments.
On that night, at about 11:30 p.m., White and his friend Jaquerius Crawford were at the Exxon gas station on West Main Street when other cars arrived carrying the seven men, including Heard, Assistant District Attorney William Starks told The Dispatch.
The groups recognized each other from a previous altercation, which led to a verbal argument before they drove to Timberlane Drive. A call regarding the shootout came in at about 11:45 p.m., and White was found dead from the crossfire when first responders arrived.
Before jury deliberations Thursday, the case’s alternate juror was dismissed, which caused an issue when the other juror who may have witnessed the crime was removed, Starks said.
During jury selection Monday, Starks said both the prosecution and defense asked questions related to possible bias, including if anyone knew the facts of the case, before the trial began.
The juror did not come forward at that time with any relevant information, Starks said, including that he heard the altercation and that he lived at the apartment complex at the time.
“I don’t know why he didn’t disclose (that he lived there at the time of the crime) before the jury deliberations, but he didn’t for whatever reason,” Starks said. “… There’s the potential that a juror with outside knowledge could tank the jury pool. We don’t know that that happened, but it’s a possibility, and so in an abundance of caution, I think the court declared the mistrial on that basis.”
Rob Laher, a Tupelo-based defense attorney who represented Heard on Thursday, said he was also disappointed by the mistrial and hopes that some closure can be brought forward when the trial is reheard in January.
“Everyone put the effort in, the time and the expense and the emotional capital, and you want to get it to a resolution if you can, and now we’ll have to wait,” Laher said.
Starks said the cases for the other six suspects are expected to also take place in January during the next court term.
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 37 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 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
