Justia Mississippi Supreme Court Opinion Summaries

In this criminal case, the Supreme Court of Mississippi upheld the conviction of the defendant, Adam Mills, for first-degree murder. The case stemmed from Mills brutally killing his girlfriend while allegedly under the influence of drugs. Mills appealed his conviction, arguing that he could not be convicted of first-degree murder because the evidence did not support a finding that he had the requisite mental capacity to form a premeditated intent to kill. Mills also contended that the trial court erred by admitting photographs and body camera footage from the crime scene.The Supreme Court held that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by admitting the photographs and body camera footage. It reasoned that the materials served a useful evidentiary purpose by providing the jury with visual evidence of the crime scene and the victim’s injuries, which could aid in determining Mills's intent. Regarding the defendant's argument about his mental capacity, the Court ruled that voluntary intoxication is not a defense to a specific-intent crime such as first-degree murder. The Court held that the extent and nature of the victim's injuries, inflicted by Mills, were indicative of a deliberate design to kill.Therefore, the Court affirmed Mills's conviction and life sentence for first-degree murder. View "Mills v. State of Mississippi" on Justia Law

In 2004, De’Andre Dampier was convicted of a capital murder committed during an auto-dealership robbery when he was 16 years old. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole, which was the only statutory sentence available at the time. In 2012, the United States Supreme Court ruled that imposing mandatory life-without-parole sentences on juveniles violates the Eighth Amendment. Based on this ruling, the Supreme Court of Mississippi granted Dampier’s request to seek post-conviction relief from his life-without-parole sentence. However, before the trial court addressed any of the factors from the US Supreme Court decision, it vacated Dampier’s life-without-parole sentence. Dampier then requested that a jury be convened to decide if he should be sentenced to life with or without parole, but the trial judge denied this request. After a hearing in which the trial judge considered the factors from the US Supreme Court decision, the judge reimposed a sentence of life in prison without parole.The Supreme Court of Mississippi affirmed the decisions of the lower courts, holding that Dampier did not have a statutory right to be sentenced by a jury. The court emphasized that the decision to be made by the trial court was whether Dampier was entitled to post-conviction relief from his life-without-parole sentence, imposed for a crime committed when he was a juvenile. The court also agreed with the lower courts that the trial judge did not err by denying Dampier’s request for jury sentencing. Furthermore, the court agreed with the lower courts that the trial court did not err by ruling that, after a careful consideration of the factors from the US Supreme Court decision, life without parole was an appropriate sentence for Dampier’s crime. View "Dampier v. State of Mississippi" on Justia Law

In the Supreme Court of Mississippi, Isaiah Gunn was convicted of first degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, and shooting into a dwelling. He was sentenced to life, forty years, twenty years, and ten years respectively. Gunn contested his conviction on appeal, arguing that the jury was improperly instructed and that the State did not present sufficient evidence to support his convictions, as he believed he acted in self-defense. The Supreme Court of Mississippi affirmed Gunn’s convictions on all counts.Gunn was indicted for these charges following an incident at his ex-girlfriend's residence where he shot and killed her and attempted to kill another man present at the scene. Gunn argued that he acted in self-defense after his ex-girlfriend pointed a shotgun at him, but the jury rejected this argument. The court found that the jury had been properly instructed on the law relating to self-defense and deliberate design, and held that the verdict was not against the overwhelming weight of the evidence.In terms of the alleged improper jury instruction, the court noted that the instruction given allowed the jury to infer deliberate design to kill if they found that Gunn intentionally used a deadly weapon to kill the victim. The court found this instruction to be permissible, as it only allowed the jury to reach a conclusion if the presented evidence supported that conclusion. Furthermore, the court concluded that the verdict was not contrary to the overwhelming weight of the evidence, as the jury could have concluded from the evidence that Gunn was not in any imminent danger, but instead was the aggressor in the situation. View "Gunn v. Mississippi" on Justia Law

In Mississippi, Jackson Sales & Storage Co. (JSSC), a subsidiary of National Presto Industries, was granted an annual exemption from ad valorem property taxes by Hinds County for almost forty years. This exemption was based on a free-port-warehouse license issued to JSSC by the State Tax Commission in 1981. In 2019, however, Hinds County denied the exemption and assessed JSSC back taxes for 2012-18, arguing JSSC lacked the requisite free-port-warehouse license. JSSC sought relief in Hinds County Circuit Court, which held that JSSC’s license remained valid and in effect since 1981 and was not subject to renewal. The Circuit Court also ruled that JSSC owed no taxes for 2012-19. On appeal, the Supreme Court of Mississippi partially affirmed and partially reversed the lower court's ruling. The Supreme Court agreed that JSSC's license was valid since 1981 and that JSSC owed no taxes for 2012-18. However, the Supreme Court disagreed with the lower court’s finding that the license wasn’t subject to renewal and that JSSC owed no taxes for 2019. The Supreme Court held that the county could require JSSC to renew its license and that JSSC owes Hinds County the remaining $290,724.52 in ad valorem taxes for 2019. The court clarified that moving forward, the board of supervisors has discretion over whether it grants JSSC an exemption and over the period of time that exemption is in effect. View "Stokes v. Jackson Sales & Storage Co" on Justia Law

In February 2003, Devin Bennett was found guilty of capital murder, and a jury sentenced him to death. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed Bennett’s conviction and sentence on appeal. In 2006, Bennett sought leave from the Court to file a motion for post-conviction relief. The Supreme Court ultimately determined that Bennett was entitled to seek post-conviction relief on his claim of ineffective assistance of counsel during the penalty phase of his trial. Bennett filed his PCR petition on October 1, 2008, and an amended petition on May 16, 2012. On March 25, 2021, the circuit court held an evidentiary hearing, and it ultimately denied Bennett’s amended petition. Bennett appealed again, but the Supreme Court upheld the denial: "while counsel might be faulted for not more thoroughly investigating the alternative mitigation case Bennett presented at the PCR hearing, we cannot find any reasonable probability that doing so would have led to a different outcome. In fact, although Bennett had fifteen years to assemble an alternative mitigation case, we agree with the trial judge that the additional evidence would have hurt Bennett more than it helped him." View "Bennett v. Mississippi" on Justia Law

At Home Care, Inc. filed suit against RiverHills Capital Corporation and others for breach of contract, fraud, and for quiet title surrounding a lease on real property that At Home Care purchased. RiverHills Capital Corporation filed a motion to transfer the case to chancery court, alleging that the chancery court had subject-matter jurisdiction because, in essence, At Home Care could not succeed on the merits of its legal claims. The circuit court denied its motion. Because the circuit court did not err by denying the motion to transfer, the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed and remanded this case to the circuit court. View "Riverhills Capital Corporation, et al. v. At Home Care, Inc." on Justia Law

Nathan Lollis and his codefendants, Marcel Smith and Charles Wells, were convicted by jury of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Lollis received a life sentence for murder and twenty years for conspiracy to commit murder. The trial court denied Lollis’s motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict or, in the alternative, a new trial. He appealed, raising sufficiency of the evidence as the sole issue on appeal. Finding no error, the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed. View "Lollis v. Mississippi" on Justia Law

K&C Logistics, LLC, brought suit in Madison County, Mississippi Circuit Court against Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc., and Daniel Cooper as the result of a vehicle accident that occurred in Nogales, Arizona. The trial court determined that it did not have personal jurisdiction over Old Dominion. K&C Logistics appealed, asking the Mississippi Supreme Court to find that courts in Mississippi had jurisdiction over Old Dominion. The Court was further requested to interpret the Mississippi Business Corporation Act to hold that Old Dominion, a foreign corporation registered to do business in Mississippi, consented to general personal jurisdiction when it registered to do business in the state. Finding no reversible error in the circuit court order, the Supreme Court affirmed. View "K&C Logistics, LLC v. Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc., et al." on Justia Law

In August 2023, the Mississippi Supreme Court granted Kelton Hathorne Sr.’s petition for writ of certiorari. Hathorne appealed a circuit court order that denied his motion for post-conviction collateral relief. On appeal, Hathorne argued his indictment was defective because it failed to charge a crime. The Court of Appeals agreed that the indictment was defective; however, it determined Hathorne’s claim was procedurally barred under the Uniform Post-Conviction Collateral Relief Act and, thus, affirmed the circuit court’s order. After review, the Supreme Court found the Court of Appeals erred by affirming the judgment of the circuit court and that Hathorne’s claim was not procedurally barred. The case was remanded for further proceedings. View "Hathorne v. Mississippi" on Justia Law

Jackson Federation of Teachers (JFT) filed a complaint against the Jackson Public School District (JPS), alleging alleged that certain JPS policies violated the free speech rights of its employees. The trial court: (1) denied JPS’s motion to dismiss for lack of standing; (2) denied JPS’s motion to dismiss for mootness; (3) found that JPS’s three policies were in violation of article 3, section 11, and article 3, section 13, of the Mississippi Constitution; and (4) issued a permanent injunction enjoining JPS from enforcing the policies. JPS timely appealed. Because JFT failed to establish standing, the Mississippi Supreme Court reversed the trial court’s decision and rendered judgment in favor of JPS. View "Jackson Public School District v. Jackson Federation of Teachers, et al." on Justia Law