A preliminary hearing was held on Wednesday, April 1, 2015 in the Stone County Justice Court in the case involving a murder-for-hire plot resulting in the death of a Stone County businessman. Captain Ray Boggs of the Stone County Sheriff's Office testified that one of the co-defendants, Evelyn Garrison, planned for weeks to have her husband killed. Boggs went on to testify that Garrison contacted Emmett Entrekin, a friend of hers, to assist in the plot. Testimony from Boggs also revealed that Entrekin "hired" his relative, Jody Parks, to carry out the killing. Parks was to be paid $15,000.00 for the killing of Evelyn Garrison's husband, Timothy "Timmy" Garrison.
Evelyn Garrison and Entrekin are presently jailed, each on a charge of conspiracy to commit murder. Each of their current bail amounts are $1,000,000.00. Parks is being held without bail on a charge of capital murder. It is alleged that Parks carried out the murder of Timmy Garrison by beating him with a baseball bat and stabbing him multiple times with a knife. A person charged with capital murder may be held without bail/bond in Mississippi as well as in most states.
Stone County Justice Court Judge Ricky Farmer found enough probable cause to bind Entrekin and Parks' case over to the grand jury. Evelyn Garrison waived her preliminary hearing, so her case was bound over to the grand jury as well.
In Mississippi, a person who is jailed on charges prior to the person's case being presented to a grand jury for indictment is entitled to a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is probable cause to bind the person's case over to the grand jury. A person who is out on bond after an arrest is usually not entitled to a preliminary hearing. Preliminary hearings on felony charges are held in the Justice Court of the county in which the trial, if any, will be held. Often, is a person is unable to bond out of jail, that person can waive their preliminary hearing in exchange for the prosecutor agreeing to request that the Justice Court judge reduce the person's bond.
Probable cause to bind a case over to a grand jury is a much lower standard than that which is required to convict a person at trial. In a criminal case, the prosecution must prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt, which is the highest burden of proof in American law.
If a person is indicted for a felony offense, then the person's case would be handled in the Circuit Court of the particular county. The Circuit Court is the court with "jurisdiction" over all felony cases. The county in which the Circuit Court sits is considered to be the "venue" where the case will be handled.
Shout out to Margaret Baker with the Sun Herald for her article about this case. It will be interesting to see how this case develops over the next year, especially given the testimony of Boggs that Entrekin and Evelyn Garrison have admitted their roles in the alleged plot.
