A Mississippi grand jury handed down an indictment against former Northwest Community College student Christian Bonner for the September 29th shooting death of Ole Miss track star Rodney Lockhart.
Bonner faces capital murder charges because Lockhart died during the course of a robbery, the indictment alleges.
An indictment from a grand jury basically means there is enough evidence for the prosecutors to got to trial. The grand jury convened last week but did not file the indictment with the Lafayette County circuit court office until Wednesday.
Lockhart was found in his Taylor Pointe apartment off Anderson by a friend. He was dead with a gunshot wound to the head.
Bonner was picked up on October 5th for possession of cocaine and charged on October 8th with capital murder. Bonner has been in Lafayette County Detention Center since his arrest.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Bonner indicted in track stars murder
Thursday, December 13, 2007
OPD busts two during traffic stop
OPD police captain Libby Lytle pulled over Kao Wokoma and Cahafer William Benjamin because she suspected they were involved in a recent burglary, the OPD reported Thursday.
During the stop Lytle discovered approximately ten pounds of "alleged" marijuana and four ounces of "alleged" cocaine the report said.
Wokoma ran track for Ole Miss in 2004.
"Both subjects were arrested by metro narcotics and are awaiting a bond hearing." the report said.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Ole Miss student dies before finals
Ole Miss freshman Sean O'Hara died Sunday night at his Sterling apartment. He was found by his girlfirend of two years, Kathryn Powell.
Powell said she found him dead on the floor of his apartment. They were planning to go out to dinner for her 21st birthday.
The cause of O'Hara's death is unknown at this time. He had no known pre-existing condition, Powell said. An autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause of death, Powell said.
"I will always love him, and he will be greatly missed. I feel as if I lost my other half. I still have old notes, pictures, gifts, and the promise ring he gave me," Powell said.
There were no signs of a struggle or any other foul play, said Oxford Police Chief Mike Martin. Calls to Lafayette County coroner Lonnie Weaver have not been returned.
Provost to step down in January
The University of Mississippi will soon be looking for a new provost.
Carolyn Staton, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Mississippi, has announced that she will step down from her position in January, according to a university press release.
Chancellor Robert Khayat has chosen Morris Stocks, senior vice chancellor for planning and operations, to serve as interim provost beginning January 1. Stocks has formerly served as dean of the School of Accountancy and associate provost.
“The entire university community is indebted to Carolyn for her many years of faithful service to the University both as a member of the law school faculty and an administrator,” Khayat said.
Staton’s resignation is the first step in her retirement plans, which will culminate in her full retirement from the university June 30, 2008. The provost announced her plans to retire earlier this year.
Staton has served as provost since 1999.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Attorney general, Secretary of State results
According to the AP:
Jim Hood (D) is re-elected as Attorney General.
Delbert Hosemann (R) wins Secretary of State.
More to come.
18 of 18 precincts reporting, absentee and affidavit remain uncounted
All 18 of the 18 precincts of Lafayette County are now counted and have been announced. There are about 500 absentee and affidavit votes left to be counted, but they aren't expected to finish until well into the night.
Here are the totals, less the absentee and affidavit votes.
Local elections:
Supervisor, District 1:
Brewer (R): 645
Pickens (D): 1001
Montgomery(I): 77
Supervisor, District 4:
Wells (R): 682
Oliphant (D): 1143
Montgomery: 77
Superintendent of Education:
Davis (R): 1110
Foster (D): 2496
Statewide elections:
Governor:
Barbour (R): 5288
Eaves (D): 2562
Lt. Governor
Bryant (R): 4908
Franks (D): 3010
Secretary of State:
Hosemann (R): 4496
Smith (D): 3312
Attorney General:
Hopkins (R): 4106
Hood (D): 3788
State Auditor
Pickering (R): 4320
Sumrall (D): 3415
Insurance Commissioner:
Chaney (R): 4709
Anderson (D): 3117
Agriculture Commissioner:
Spell (R): 3779
Cole (D): 3289
Riley (I): 662
State Representative, District 12:
Akins (R): 2183
Payne (D): 1358
For the complete story, check The Daily Mississippian Wednesday morning.
State returns start coming in
While Online Editor Zachary Wilson fills you in as returns come in from Lafayette County elections, I'm posted in The DM newsroom to provide information on the returns from the state races, courtesy of the Associated Press. Here's the latest:
Haley Barbour (R) has been re-elected as governor.
Tate Reeves (R) has won the race for state treasurer.
Here are the statistical breakdowns for the governor's race and other statewide elections, so far:
Governor
370 of 1,899 precincts - 19 percent
Haley Barbour, GOP (i) 49,496 - 56 percent
John Arthur Eaves, Dem 38,742 - 44 percent
370 of 1,899 precincts - 19 percent
Phil Bryant, GOP 49,858 - 57 percent
Jamie R. Franks, Dem 37,711 - 43 percent
Secretary of State
31 of 1,899 precincts - 2 percent
Delbert Hosemann, GOP 3,627 - 58 percent
Robert Smith, Dem 2,613 - 42 percent
31 of 1,899 precincts - 2 percent
Jim Hood, Dem (i) 3,565 - 56 percent
Al Hopkins, GOP 2,777 - 44 percent
31 of 1,899 precincts - 2 percent
Stacey Pickering, GOP 3,365 - 54 percent
Mike Sumrall, Dem 2,907 - 46 percent
31 of 1,899 precincts - 2 percent
Tate Reeves, GOP (i) 3,872 - 62 percent
Shawn O'Hara, Dem 2,343 - 38 percent
31 of 1,899 precincts - 2 percent
Lester Spell, GOP (i) 3,332 - 52 percent
Rickey Cole, Dem 2,548 - 40 percent
Paul Riley, CST 554 - 9 percent
31 of 1,899 precincts - 2 percent
Mike Chaney, GOP 3,803 - 60 percent
Gary Anderson, Dem 2,507 - 40 percent
I'll post updated information as it comes across the wire. Stay tuned!
The votes begin to trickle in...
As of about fifteen minutes ago, votes from seven of the 18 precincts in Lafayette County have been counted, according to Mary Alice Busby, Lafayette County circuit clerk. Busby said she expects it to be a late night, possibly as late as 1 a.m. or 2 a.m.
Republican Haley Barbour currently leads the race for Mississippi governor over Democrat John Arthur Eaves, Jr., in Lafayette County, though the number doesn't include absentee or affidavit ballots.
Several of the local candidates are present in the Lafayette County Chancellery Court building as the vote totals come in. Word around the court is that voting turnout was low statewide, but there are no numbers available to confirm it yet.
As the voting ends
It's 6:30 p.m. and the polls are about to close. Check The DM Newsblog throughout the night for voting updates, then read tomorrow's edition of The Daily Mississippian for complete coverage. Also, tune in to 92.1 Rebel Radio for vote updates as they happen.