Brother charged in sister’s shooting death in Meridian
Published 1:45 pm Monday, April 2, 2018
- Whitney Downard / The Meridian StarJohtavis Tell looks back at his family before his preliminary hearing before Municipal Judge Robbie Jones Monday.
The Meridian Police Department charged Johtavis A. Tell, 15, with manslaughter following the shooting death of his 14-year-old sister.
Tell has been in custody since the Friday morning shooting at their mother’s Western Gardens apartment in Meridian.
At a preliminary hearing Monday, Municipal Judge Robbie Jones lowered Tell’s bond to $25,000, which had initially been set to $100,000, on the condition that Tell be turned over to the custody of his father and paternal grandparents.
Tell, represented by attorney William Ready Jr., waived his right to an initial hearing.
Tell’s mother, father, paternal grandparents and several other family members attended the brief hearing. Following Jones’ decision, Jones permitted the family members to hug Tell and speak with him before he returned to the custody of the Lauderdale County Detention Facility.
