PANOLA COUNTY, Miss. — Even though a man has already been charged in the death of Jessica Chambers, he is not heading to Panola County just yet. He is answering to charges in Louisiana first.
“I really can’t tell you a whole lot other than I’m representing him in Ouachita Parish,” said attorney M. Randall Donald, representing Quinton Tellis in Louisiana.
Tellis is accused of using the bank card of a murdered foreign exchange student.
Investigators believe he is the same man who brutally burned Jessica Chambers alive, killing her.
“Anything you can tell us, if he’s mentioned anything to you, about the Jessica Chambers case? How you heard about it?” WREG’s Caitlin Alexander asked.
“No comment as far as anything my client and I have discussed. The only thing I do know about it is he was indicted,” Donald said.
Tellis has not officially been charged for murder in the Louisiana case, but the District Attorney’s office in Ouachita Parish says he is the only suspect.
Assistant District Attorney Neal Johnson said they are taking Tellis to trial on the debit card and drug charges May 9th.
They plan to charge him as a habitual offender, meaning he could get life in prison.
Then, officials will send him to Panola County to answer to the capital murder charge in Chambers’ death. He could get a life sentence for that, as well, if not the death penalty. District Attorney John Champion told WREG he will make the decision of what sentence to pursue after discussing matters with the Chambers family.
But when it comes to charging him for murder in Louisiana, Johnson said this.
“We are highly confident that he is facing two life sentences. At the conclusion of the Mississippi trial, we’ll evaluate whether we feel it’s necessary to take him to trial on a third one and give him a third life sentence.”
Donald said he does not know why Tellis moved to Louisiana last summer.
He would not elaborate on Tellis’ mood or how he is doing behind bars.
“Can’t really discuss that with you at this time,” he said.
Johnson explained to WREG that there is no statute of limitations for murder, but if Ouachita Parish were to charge him for the Louisiana murder, they would have to bring him to trial within three years.