2 indicted on accessory to capital murder

Two men have been indicted as accessories to capital murder after the fact in a 2019 pond death in the Hope community.

 Ian Caleb Thompson, 21, and Justus Barefield, age unavailable, were arraigned in Leake County earlier this month and pleaded not guilty. They face charges in connection with the October 19, 2019, death of Demarcus Houston, whose body was found in February weighed down in a pond belonging to Thompson in the Hope community.

District Attorney Steven Kilgore said the pond being on Thompson’s property led law enforcement to him. Their investigation led them to believe that Barefield helped with the disposal of the body.

Three people were indicted on capital murder charges by the grand jury. Tyrone Braxton, 23, Joanna Brook Gilmer, 26, and James Walter Kelly, age unavailable, have all entered pleas of not guilty. They were arraigned during the first week of September.

Kilgore said he did not expect any other indictments to come from this case.

Kilgore said he was unsure when the trials would be held for any of the defendants. Kilgore said a plea day has been set up in Neshoba County on Sept. 30. Two court terns will run at the same time in October and November.

“Once plea day occurs, we will know more about our trial schedule,” Kilgore said. “We are in term right now in Leake County. We will be doing two terns at once during October and November spread out in Neshoba and Scott counties.”

Other indictments handed down by the grand jury included:

• Eric Lamon Horne, age unavailable, charged with aggravated domestic violence;

• Willie Lewis Jones, 54, charged possession of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine on or around August 7, 2019;

• Dalton Cole Durant 24, and Destiny Chantrelle Spink, 23, were  charged with an auto burglary that occurred on or around December 23, 2019;

• Charles Hardy, 39, and Tyler Reed Bounds, age unavailable, were charged in a burglary of an occupied dwelling in the Arlington community that occurred on or around May 7;

• Daniel Ray McMillian was charged with possession of methamphetamine;

• Jennifer Jolyn Jolly-Bassett, 46, was charged with possession of methamphetamine;

• Charles Ellis Fanning, 47, was charged with possession of methamphetamine and with being in possession of a firearm by a felon on or around September 28, 2019;

• Edward Glen Pullin, age unavailable, was charged with burglary of an unoccupied dwelling on or around February 24, 2020;

• Jerome Fitzgerald Huffman, 48, was charged with DUI-3rd offense on or around February 27, 2020;

• Jennifer Rena Rickett, age unavailable, charged with possession of methamphetamine on or around on or around September 5, 2019;

• Javon Antwan Clemons, age unavailable, was charged with  burglary of a dwelling on or around March 7, 2020;

• Aleisha Vance Kelly, 34, was charged with burglary of a dwelling on or around February 1, 2020;

• James Nolan Smith, age unavailable, was charged with sale of methamphetamine, 2nd offense, on;

• Andrew D. Bondie, 40, was charged with burglary of a dwelling on or around April 22, 2020;

• Timmie Talbert Ivey, age unavailable, was charged with burglary of a dwelling;

 •  James Walter Kelly Sr., DUI-3rd offense on or around May 10, 2020;

• Austin Lee Watkins, age unavailable, sale of heroin on or around August 9, 2019;

• Timothy Neal Teague, age unavailable, extortion around April 2, 20, 2018;

• Carly C. Milling, age unavailable, was charged with DUI maiming from an incident that happened on or around March 30, 2019;

•  Matthew Robertson, age unavailable, was charged with possession of contraband in a correctional facility; and,

• Willie Darrell Lang, age unavailable, was charged with possession of cocaine-2nd offense.