Supreme Court won’t hear appeal in Welford case
Published 2:00 pm Friday, September 11, 2015
- Mississippi Supreme Court to hear appeal of man convicted of George County Sheriff Garry Welford's murder
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Supreme Court has refused to hear the state’s appeal of a decision reversing a capital murder conviction in the 2010 death of George County Sheriff Garry Welford.
The Mississippi Press reports (http://bit.ly/1iAKp7E) the refusal means the 2014 Court of Appeals’ decision stands involving Brandy Nicole Williams.
Williams and her boyfriend, Christopher Lee Baxter, were convicted in 2012 of capital murder. Each was sentenced to life without parole.
In Williams’ case, the appellate court found that the trial judge erred in preventing the jury from hearing a statement that Baxter gave to law enforcement that implicated him in the crime. As a result, her conviction was overturned and a new trial was ordered.
District Attorney Tony Lawrence says he will meet with Welford’s family to determine their next step.
The Sun Herald reports (http://bit.ly/1iAPRaJ) Welford, 62, was putting spikes at an intersection near the Alabama line to stop a pickup truck and end a high-speed chase July 21, 2010. Williams and Baxter were in the truck that ran him over.
Baxter lost his appeal in August in a 6-2 Supreme Court ruling.
