June trial date set in Chambers case
Man also faces murder charges in Louisiana
The man accused of capital murder in the December 2014 death of Jessica Chambers will go on trial beginning June 19, 21⁄2 years after the Panola County, Miss., teen staggered badly burned from her car along a rural road in Courtland.
District Attorney John Champion Tuesday confirmed the trial date for Quinton Tellis, who was indicted by a Panola County grand jury in February. Tellis, also charged with first-degree murder in Louisiana, was charged in Mississippi as a habitual offender because of two burglary convictions and a felony fleeing conviction.
The location of the trial has not been determined, Champion said. He added that while the judge has not signed off on the trial date, he’s confident both sides will be ready.
“There’s a lot of discovery in this case, but after talks, I believe everybody will be good with that date,” Champion said.
Tellis’ attorney, Alton Peterson, said he’s still waiting on parts of the discovery from Champion’s office.
“We’re waiting for some reports from the main investigators at this point, and we’ve been informed that they’re forthcoming,” Peterson said. “Before I comment on the case, I want to know what the investigation consisted of.”
Tellis, 28, is being held at the DeSoto County Jail in Hernando. His trial was set tentatively for last month. However, the date was a formality and no one expected the case to go before a jury that soon because of the voluminous documents to sort through from an investigation that lasted more than a year.
During a July court appearance in Hernando, Tellis pleaded not guilty. Pretrial hearings will likely precede the June trial.
Tellis is accused of setting Chambers, 19, afire on a rural road near her Courtland home, about 70 miles south of Memphis. She was found badly burned near her burned-out vehicle, and later died at the Regional Medical Center in Memphis.
A motive has not been disclosed, and prosecutors have not said if they will seek the death penalty.
In Louisiana Tellis is charged with first-degree murder in the 2015 death of Ming-Chen Hsiao, an exchange student attending the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Tellis is accused of stabbing Hsiao to death before stealing her debit card, according to the indictment.
He has already pleaded guilty to fraudulent use of the debit card.
Tellis is expected to return to Louisiana to serve a 10-year sentence for the debit card fraud after the Mississippi trial, regardless of the outcome.
Therese Apel of the Jackson ClarionLedger contributed to this story.