Another suspect pleads guilty as accessory in exchange for testimony
A change of venue for the retrial of a man accused of conspiring to commit the 2017 St. Patrick’s Day murder of Newton’s Jamarcus Townsend resulted in a guilty verdict on Friday in Eighth District Circuit Court held in Philadelphia.
After 40 minutes of deliberation, a Neshoba County jury convicted 19-year-old Jordan Myers of conspiracy to commit murder. He was transferred back to the Newton County Jail, where he is awaiting sentencing on Aug. 7 at 1 p.m.
In a related charge, Jessica Powers, 23, pleaded guilty to the charge of accessory to murder in the court of Circuit Judge Christopher Collins. She will receive a five-year prison sentence in exchange for “truth in testimony” in any trials related to the Townsend murder, according to District Attorney Steven Kilgore.
Kilgore said the public defender representing Myers requested the change of venue several weeks ago. Kilgore did not object to the motion, and Collins granted the change of venue to Neshoba County Circuit Court last week.
The trial was conducted all day Thursday, and the defense rested on Friday morning. The jury returned the verdict by midday Friday after closing arguments were made and the jury received final instructions from Collins.
Kilgore said the change of venue helped eliminate outside distractions that caused Collins to grant a mistrial in April. According to an April story in the Newton County Appeal, it was discovered that several of the audience members had violated the court’s rules about having cell phones while court was in session. Some jurors feared that an audience member had been taking photos of jurors.
“The case went a lot smoother this time around,” Kilgore said. “Because everything happened so quickly with the change of venue, there was very little time to have any outside factors affect the trial.”
Kilgore said assistant district attorney Chris Posey helped him prosecute the case.
Newton Chief of Police Harvey Curry said he was pleased with the conviction.
“All we were doing is telling what happened,” Curry said. “Johnny Martin and Bruce LeCraw got on the stand and told what happened.”
In relation to the accessory plea bargain, Curry wanted to remind residents to make sure that they do not harbor anyone who is connected with a crime.
“If you are aiding and abetting a criminal who may have committed a crime, the Newton Police Department is going to charge you,” Curry said. “If you know someone who has committed a crime, you need to get as far away from them as you can.”
There are seven other suspects awaiting trial in relation to the Townsend murder.
Lyndale Jones, Dontay Chapman and Richard Lofton are all charged with first degree murder.
Darron LaShuan Thames was also charged with conspiracy to commit murder and as an accessory to murder after the fact. Devon Thompson, Robert Shadon Bender and Ashton Thompson are all charged with being accessories to murder after the fact.
