BATESVILLE, Miss. (AP) — The Latest on the trial of a man charged with burning to death a Mississippi woman (all times local): 3:45 p.m. A prosecutor says a man charged with burning a Mississippi woman to death lied repeatedly
BATESVILLE, Miss. (AP) — The Latest on the trial of a man charged with burning to death a Mississippi woman (all times local):
3:45 p.m.
A prosecutor says a man charged with burning a Mississippi woman to death lied repeatedly to investigators about spending time with her in the hours before she was found in flames along a rural back road.
But a defense attorney says 19-year-old Jessica Chambers told firefighters who found her that a man named Eric set her on fire — not the man charged with her murder, Quinton Tellis.
Tellis’ trial began Tuesday with opening statements in Batesville, Mississippi, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Memphis, Tennessee. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of capital murder.
Authorities have said Chambers was on fire when she was found in Courtland, Mississippi, on Dec. 6, 2014. Chambers was taken to a hospital in Memphis, where she died.
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2:26 a.m.
The trial of a man charged with burning a 19-year-old Mississippi woman to death nearly three years ago is set to begin.
Opening statements are scheduled Tuesday in the trial of 29-year-old Quinton Tellis in Batesville, Mississippi, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Memphis, Tennessee.
Tellis has pleaded not guilty to murder in the death of Jessica Chambers. She was on fire when she was found next to her burning car along a back road in Courtland, Mississippi, on Dec. 6, 2014. Chambers was taken to a hospital in Memphis, where she died.
The trial jury was selected in Pike County in southwest Mississippi because of intense pre-trial publicity in Panola County. The jury is being transported north to Batesville, where it will be sequestered throughout the trial.
