Day Three of the Jessica Chambers murder trial

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

BATESVILLE, Miss. — The jury in the Jessica Chambers murder trial returned briefly to the courtroom on Thursday before heading out to see the crime scene and other locations related to the case. Part One On the “field trip”, the jury visited the site where Chambers and her car were found on fire in December 2014. From there they headed east to the location where the 19-year-old’s keys were reportedly discovered. They then moved down the road about 0.4 of a mile to where Sherry Flowers testified that she picked up a man the night of the murder. They followed her route to the reported drop off location at Highway 51 and Old Highway 51 before heading north to M&M’s, Quinton Tellis’ home and his sister’s home.

Part Two

Next to take the stand FBI Special Agent Dustin Blunt who interviewed Quinton Tellis on December 18, 2014. Tellis told him he had a good relationship with Chambers and that they were friends. He stated they met around Thanksgiving and shortly after that the pair exchanged numbers. Blunt testified Tellis told him the two had sex one time in her car. He said they parked the car on a drive just south of his home. He then reclined the passenger seat. During that interview with Blunt, Tellis also showed him his shed where he kept his dirt bike and a 5-gallon tank of gasoline. The agent said Tellis also admitted to deleting text messages from Chambers a few days after her death. When asked about the day Jessica died, Tellis said at first he couldn’t remember, but then later remembered that he, Lakesha Myer and Jessica rode around that morning. He said he didn’t see her the rest of the day, but he did receive a message from her stating that she wanted some money. He said she never showed up to pick it up. Later that afternoon, he said he went to Batesville to purchase a Green Dot card for a girl in Louisiana. The Piggly Wiggly was closed so he went to Fred’s to purchase the card before returning home. He said he saw the lights so he walked across the street to Girly’s to asked what had happened. That’s when he said he learned what had happened. He said he was also told that a man named Roscoe did it and that he’s been arrested. When asked he if had checked up on Tellis’ alibi, Blunt confirmed that he had. He said video surveillance at the Batesville Fred’s confirmed Tellis was in the store that night. They didn’t give a specific time. The next to testify was Angela Overton, a nurse that cared for Chambers the night she was burned. She said Chambers was an unusual case, “because we were told someone had done this to her, versus a house fire or something like that.” Overton said the nurses tried to find a way to communicate with Chambers after she was brought in, but that the 19-year-old was unable to respond to any of their questions. Despite her best efforts, Chambers couldn’t make any sounds. All that was coming out was a gargling sound, Overton said. Due to her condition, the doctors advised the family that they would be placing their daughter on comfort care, which is when they don’t expect a person to live. Overton described it as simply making sure someone is comfortable until they pass away. Chambers was admitted to the hospital around 10 p.m. and died that night. Next to take the stand was Dr. William Hickerson, the director of the burn unit at Regional Medical Center. He was contacted the night Chambers was burned and said she had third-degree burns over 90 percent of her body. He described the pain of the burns as being “tremendous.” While looking at photos of Chambers, Dr. Hickerson said her skin would have been like leather as she got out of the car. When specifically asked if she would have been able to speak as first responders said she did, he replied no, that would not have been possible. He said what they would have been hearing were “pain” sounds. The defense brought up how several first responders said their heard Chambers say words. The doctor reiterated that her burns would only have allowed her to make sounds. Part Three Next to take the stand was Major Barry Thompson with the Panola County Sheriff’s Department. He testified twice today and was also the witness on the jury trip. He first testified about where all the site locations were on a map. He then took the stand again at the end of the day. During his testimony he talked about an interview he had with Tellis on December 10, 2014 in which he asked the man where he was the night Jessica died. He said he saw Jessica before noon. He then stated he was at a local hangout called the Sandbox with a man named Big Mike and Tootie during the incident. Thompson said Tellis never mentioned the fact he went to Batesville that night. Thompson then talked about how they pulled records from Chamber’s phone – including Tellis’ unnamed number-  and checked all the Eric’s and Derreck’s in the area. We also learned Thursday learned the state did follow up with “the suspicious man” who was said to be at the scene that night. It turns out they ran his car tag the night of the scene and the tag came back to his wife, Thelma Taylor. The man and his wife told investigators their daughter lived near the burn site. They said they heard about the car fire that night and couldn’t get a hold of her, so he went to check it out himself. After taking a brief break, the jury visited the crime scene again late Thursday evening.

Background information

Quinton Tellis is accused of killing Jessica Chambers in 2014. Tellis’ 2017 trial on capital murder charges ended in a hung jury. This trial could last a week. Prosecutors say cellphone locations, video, DNA on a key chain and Tellis’ statements link him to Chambers’ death. A new witness may testify she picked up Tellis that night near where Chambers was burned. The defense emphasizes multiple emergency workers heard the dying Chambers say someone named “Eric” or “Derek” attacked her. Tellis faces another murder indictment in 2015′s death of Meing-Chen Hsiao in Monroe, Louisiana. WREG will be streaming the proceedings online and on our Facebook page when the court proceedings begin at 9 a.m. Bridget Chapman will also be in the courtroom with live updates. https://twitter.com/bchapman_WREG3