PANOLA COUNTY, Miss. — Quinton Tellis is no stranger to Panola County Law Enforcement.
In 2010, he was sentenced to 5 years for burglary and a felon fleeing authority.
In 2012, shortly after he got out of prison, he was back in trouble, charged with another burglary and sentenced to 8 more years.
Two years later, not long after getting out of prison again, he was being questioned about the death of Jessica Chambers.
“The best I know. They knew each other and they were friends. That the best we can determine,” said Panola County District Attorney John Champion.
No one is saying how well they knew each other or why Jessica ended up dead.
Just months later Tellis would be questioned about the murder of a student in Louisiana after he was caught using her credit card.
That charge has him sitting in a Louisiana jail.
Tellis had been in prison on three felonies when Chambers was killed.
“His 3 prior convictions were for felony evasion of felony fleeing as we call it for two separate burglaries,” said Champion.
Even though he was sentenced to 5 years for that 2010 burglary and fleeing, he only served about a year.
Prosecutors said that’s normal.
A 5 year sentence can mean some prison time and then probation and Tellis may have had to do only 25% of the time.
He was back on the streets in 2012 when he was convicted of the other burglary.
His 8 year sentence for that still had him back on the street in October 2014.
In December 2014 Chambers was killed.
A man who said he is Tellis’ cousin told us the family can’t believe he was involved.
“Kind of everyone is down and can’t believe he did it. So everyone is just waiting,” said Willie Market.
“I have never known him to do nothing like this all my life. For people to go around and say he did something like this is hard to believe because he is not that person. He is sweet, young gentle,” said Market.
WREG Investigators found other incidents on Tellis’ record, including DUI, larceny and even a simple assault, where he was charged with beating a woman.
The woman’s family said what happened to her was brutal after she refused his advances.
“She called and told me about seven people jumped on her and Quinton was one of them. She said she had asked for a ride home, they gave her a ride home, they tried to sleep with her and when she didn’t sleep with them, they tried to rape her,” said Amma Reeves Nelson, the sister of the woman attacked.
Tellis never served time on that 2009 attack.
It was a misdemeanor.