Photo: Hollis Bennett. The cell phone data appears damning, but according to Karas, cell phone tower pings and other related evidence are not always conclusive especially in rural areas where there are only a few towers. Chambers then picked up Tellis at about 5:30 p.m. and they went to a fast food restaurant, Champion said. The prosecutor also said Tellis' alibi was fabricated. Haley told the seven-man, five-woman jury that he knew Chambers before that night, but the two were not friends. Don't know what in the world came over me, Christopher P. Stokes told a Wisconsin court. The two mistrials leave the door open for a third attempt to try Tellis for Chambers murder, if Champion decides to go forward. Investigators interviewed just about anyone who could've been in contact with Jessica. But while Chambers family hopes that a third trial in the Chambers case may yet deliver the justice they seek, the Mississippi prosecutor, John Champion, tells PEOPLE that hes not rushing forward. Her aunt Sherry Hall, described her as a blue-eyed cotton topped little girl. Although Chambers had graduated from high school with all As and Bs and recently had started a new job selling clothes at a Goodys department store in nearby Batesville, she nonetheless ran with a rough crowd before her death. teen sent back from Louisiana, Suspect indicted in Jessica Chambers burning death, Jessica Chambers' father: 'We're near the end', Authorities release more details on burned teen's last day, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Her stepmother Debbie Chambers said that his untimely death was a catalyst for Chambers changing her social scene. WebShe had burns over 98 percent of her body. Scan this QR code to download the app now. He completed that sentence but remains jailed in Ouachita Parish with a $300,000 bond on the murder charge, the parish district attorneys office confirms to PEOPLE. At one point she moved out of her mother's house for months after she didn't approve of Jessica's relationship with her boyfriend. Jessica Chambers died at Regional One Health-Memphis where she had been airlifted about four hours after being lit afire. The murder case shocked a small town and made headlines around the nation and the man accused of killing her, Quinton Tellis, ended in a hung jury last fall. Real Name: Jessica Lane Chambers Nicknames: No known nicknames Location: Courtland, Mississippi Date: December 6, 2014 Case Details: At 8:10pm on December 6, 2014, nineteen-year-old Jessica Chambers was found burning next to her car which was also on fire. August 2015:Jessica Chambers' father: 'We're near the end' February 2015:Authorities release more details on burned teen's last day. While he was not able to make contact with this person, he did note the license plate number, according to. And she had black all over her face. In his opening statement, Champion acknowledged that the first responders did hear her say the name "Eric" or "Derek." May 2016:Suspect in torching death of Miss. He also said that Tellis had repeatedly asked Chambers for sex, and she had told him no. Though Tellis admitted using Hsiaos credit card, he has pleaded not guilty to her slaying. While in high school,Jessicawas a cheerleader at her high school football games. She was inside her car when itwas doused with an accelerant and set ablaze, but somehow she managed to escape. Were they an unwitting witness or somehow tied to the fatal burning? But we looked at her activities and everything that was going on and it just didnt go that way at all. Champion didnt suspectgang activity was to blame for Chambers death. No trial date has been set in that case. Girl Is Mauled to Death by Pit Bull While Playing Outside, Accused Delphi Killer 'Is Not the Only Actor Involved in This,' Says Prosecutor, Kristin Smart Case: Paul Flores Found Guilty in 1996 Death and Disappearance of the Cal Poly Freshman, NYPD Officer Found Guilty of Killing Son, 8, with Autism After Making Him Sleep in Freezing Garage, Alex Murdaugh Tries to Blame Cousin for Murders of Wife, Son, Citing Polygraph Test, N.J. According to Buzzfeed, Chambers' father's job at the Sheriff's department meant that he was notified. Who was this mysterious person? Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. I mean, hes as dangerous a criminal as Ive ever dealt with, Champion said, reports Jackson, Mississippi, TV news station WLBT. All rights reserved. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Tellis faces another murder indictment in Louisiana, where he's accused in the torture death of Meing-Chen Hsiao, a 34-year-old Taiwanese graduate student at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She died of her injuries shortly after arriving at the hospital. Chambers' mother Lisa who died in 2021, according to Darkhorse Press was frequently contacted on social media by people trying to solve her daughter's murder. Tellis defense attorney Darla Palmer accused district attorney John Champion of allegedly trying to pressure another clients of Palmer's, who is charged with capital murder in another case, to testify that Jessica Chambers used to refer to Quinton Tellis as Eric., According to an affidavit, Palmer accused Champion of numerous ethical violations, prosecutorial misconduct [and] potential criminal violations.. The University of Louisiana-Monroe exchange student had been stabbed 34 times until she gave out the personal identification number for her debit card, according to a warrant filed in July 2016. Courtland has about 500 residents. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. However, according to Buzzfeed, the case has attracted the attention of web sleuths who comb through social media looking for any clue that investigators may have missed and develop their own, oftentimes outlandish theories about who really killed Jessica Chambers. Her body was severely burned, said Haley in his testimony during the trial in 2017. A former cheerleader, Chambers had ambitions of becoming a nurse. She didnt want nobody telling her what she could and could not do., She was labeled a girlfriend of a gang member, There was speculation that Chamberssocialized with,and dated, gang members, according to the docu-series Unspeakable Crime: The Killing of Jessica Chambers.. Buzzfeed got the story, and it seemed like the entire internet was trying to answer the question: Who set Jessica Chambers on fire? Some commenters have pointed out that Jessica's murder stoked racial divides in the town. Chambers mother said she was always smiling and she had the littlest body, she recalled, adding that her daughter loved making the I love you hand sign. Jessica herself had expressed concerns involving her friends to her father, who worked as a mechanic for the county sheriffs office. The last six weeks before she died, she told me 10 or 15 times, Everybody thinks Im snitching because you work for the police, her father told PEOPLE. These affidavits name Tellis as her accused killer. "The trail was going cold in Mississippi when he got locked up in Louisiana," she said, adding that Mississippi investigators got a break when Louisiana police called and notified them that they had someone in custody from their county. Eric, said the 19-year-old, who did not give a last name or answer to other questions. His wife then ran down the street to tell Chambers' mother what had happened and they were all at the hospital in Memphis when she died. On Dec. 6, 2014, Chambers, 19, was set on fire on a back road in Courtland, a town of 500 in Panola County. Authorities said Chambers was soaked in fuel in her car on a rural road, set on fire and left to stumble through a roadside ditch before she was spotted by a passing motorist who called 911. About 20,000 telephone numbers were analyzed in the investigation. Erin Barnhart said Chambers was burned over most of her body except her groin, buttocks, back of upper thighs, and bottoms of her feet. WebProsecutor John Champion told jurors that they will see graphic photos of a burned Chambers and they will hear from about 35 witnesses. According to her obituary, Lisa Chambers died Friday, October 29, 2021, at age 52 at a hospital in Oxford, Mississippi. Archived post. He also said that he saw a suspicious person in the area. Chambers then picked up Tellis about 5:30 p.m. and they went to a fast food restaurant, Champion said. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! I don't know if I had ever covered a case where a person was burned alive," Karas told CrimeFeed. WebJessica Chambers killing: Photos from case Photos: A look back at the Jessica Chambers case 80 PHOTOS More Stories Kingston Frazier murder: Court upholds Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. The prosecution's case in Mississippi will hinge largely on cellphone data that place Tellis and Jessica Chambers together much of the day she died. While prosecutors argued that Tellis strangled Jessica after they had sex and then started the fire believing she was already dead, jurors failed to reach a verdict on his guilt or innocence. On the night of Dec. 6, 2014, roughly 8:15 p.m., Jessica Lane Chambers was about two miles from her family's home in Courtland (population just over 500) when her 2005 Kia Rio erupted in flames. She said Tellis was buying a pre-paid debit card miles away in Batesville at the time Chambers was burned. Tellis, 31, already has pleaded guilty and was sentenced for unauthorized use of a Chase Bank debit credit card belonging to Hsiao, reports The News Star. Jessica Chambers suffered an agonizing death: Firefighters saw her walking toward them, wearing only her underwear & burned over 93 percent of her body. Authorities say that the teen was doused in lighter fluid and set on fire by an unknown assailant. That image of youthful innocence was shattered by the reality of Chambers violent end. This is breaking my heart. Prosecutor John Champion warned jurors that they will see graphic photos of a burned Chambers and they will hear from about 35 witnesses. According to the obituary, Lisa Chambers leaves behind three siblings, two children, and three grandchildren. "Horrific burns," Champion said. The field trip will give the Pike County jurors a chance to see first hand the sites that Prosecutor John Champion said will be tied together via cellphone records. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Yet the apparent disconnect over the name loomed large after Tellis was charged with Jessicas murder and went to trial last October. The case still remains unsolved, although strong evidence points to only one suspect. Champion said she could have been saying "Tellis," but the damage done to her throat made it sound different. All rights reserved. In these cases, she says, experts have told her that the location of the cell phone can only be narrowed down to an "around two to 10 or 20 square mile area.". Like a lot of teenagers, Jessica Chambers had a rebellious streak and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. On December 6, 2014, a 19-year-old cheerleader named Jessica Chambers was set on fire in the small town of Courtland, Mississippi. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Legal Statement. The victim in that case, 34-year-old Meing-Chen Hsiao, was a Taiwanese exchange student who was tortured and stabbed more than 30 times in her apartment in July 2015 by someone allegedly trying to obtain the PIN number to her debit card, according to affidavits obtained by PEOPLE. And when they threw her up, she was so light you just about had enough time to go get you a hot dog before shed come back down.. Discovery, Inc. (Screenshot from ID's "Jessica Chambers: An ID Murder Mystery"), Warner Bros. "She didn't say any other name.". Tellis previously told investigators that he had been with Jessica Chambers for part of the night she died, authorities said. I was face to face with her, and you could barely understand her, said Haley, according to the New York Daily News. Champion said cellphone records show that Chambers and Tellis who had met about two weeks before her death and had become friends were together twice on the day she was burned. WebThe woman was 19-year-old, Jessica Chambers. 2023 FOX Television Stations, Car crashes into building after hitting a path of vehicles in Strawberry Mansion, police say, Police investigate shooting on I-95 in South Philadelphia that injured 1, Families voice concerns about asbestos in Philadelphia schools: 'It's scary', 3 people injured, one critically in South Philadelphia triple shooting, police say, Delaware County teen honored with award and surprise party for standing up to bullies at school. She had a somewhat rocky childhood, her father spent some time in prison, but by 2014 he was out and working as a mechanic for the local sheriff's department. Tellis faces another murder indictment in Louisiana, where he's accused in the torture death of Meing-Chen Hsiao, a 34-year-old Taiwanese graduate student at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. BATESVILLE, Miss. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! He also said they found a lighter that was so rusty it could not be sent to the crime lab, and a cigarette butt that they thought belonged to a firefighter. His Mother Is in Jail on Murder Charge, Ex-Teacher Faces Murder Trial After Family of 3 Including Teen Son Are Shot, Stabbed in Calif. Home, stubborn mystery that had everyone talking. Prosecutors then showed the or redistributed. Did she know kids that were in the gangs? John Champion, District Attorney for Panola County said in the documentary series. Karas said that she understands why the jury was undecided. Tellis, who graduated from the same high school as Chambers,was in Batesville buying a pre-paid debit card for his girlfriend in Louisiana at the time Chambers was attacked, Palmer said. She answered and said she would be home soon. The Panola County Sheriffs Lt. Edward Dickson confirmed in his testimony that he found a phone belonging to Chambers, and some burned clothing. More than 93 percent of her body wasbadlyburned. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Surveillance video from the gas station shows that Chambers was at the gas station (via Acton News 5). Defense attorney Darla Palmer said Tellis is wrongly accused. WebChambers, a former high school cheerleader, was wearing nothing but underwear when she was found along a rural Mississippi road next to her burning vehicle. All posts must contain accurate, unbiased information and adhere to the rules found below. This is a revengeful, hateful killing., District Attorney John Champion agreed, telling PEOPLE that the attack was very, very personal. Friends Claim It Was Domestic Violence. WebChambers died the following day of her injuries after suffering from smoke inhalation and severe burns on almost her entire body. When authorities accused Tellis of Jessicas murder in 2016, they discovered him already in jail charged with the unlawful use of a credit card belonging to a college student who was stabbed to death in Louisiana in August 2015. A criminal indictment announced on Feb. 23, 2016, appeared to crack the case, according to law enforcement, and offered a theory that would not be fully aired until a trial last fall. "She had her arms out, saying, 'Help me, help me, help me,' " Haley testified Tuesday, wiping away tears. There has got to be something they can do. Jessica Chambers' murder drew a substantial amount of media coverage, especially in the days after it occurred. On December 6, 2014, first responders in Courtland, Mississippi received a call about a vehicle fire. Her father, Ben Chambers, said Jessica and her vehicle were burning for at least 30 minutes before the fire department reached them. Champion said she could have been saying "Tellis," but the damage done to her throat made it sound different. "She didn't say any other name.". One responder said it could have been Derrick, but most heard Eric. Quinton Tellis was tried twice for her murder, each ending in a mistrial with a hung jury. The Bizarre Case Of The Jessica Chambers Murder. "Horrific burns," Champion said. WebThis is seen as another effort by prosecutors to dismantle the damaging evidence that Jessica may have identified her killer as someone named Eric, and not Quinton Tellis. I am just a mother that is dying every day, she told Fox13 Memphis. "It was a terrible crime. BATESVILLE, Miss. Prosecutors argued at trial that Tellis strangled Jessica after they eventually did have sex, and then he set the blaze believing she was already dead. All she could say was that she felt cold. This undated photograph released by the families of Jessica Chambers and her sister Amanda Prince, shows Jessica Chambers taken in Courtland, Miss. A former cheerleader, Chambers had ambitions of becoming a nurse. Prosecutors alleged that Chambers recent local acquaintance Quinton Tellis, who was then 27, had pestered the 19-year-old Jessica for sex that she repeatedly rebuffed. Despite a suspect going to trial twice there hasn't been a conviction in the case and it remains officially unsolved. We dont have a lot of haves and have-nots here, Rupert Howell, then the managing editor of rural Panola Countys family-owned newspaper, The Panolian, told PEOPLE in 2016. Given her state, she was unable to communicate clearly, but several first responders would later testify that they thought she had said Eric or Derrick when asked who had attacked her (via Investigative Discovery). They even wrote to his mother asking for answers, "Bryan can't take this anymore," she told Buzzfeed. Questions: Jessica Chambers, 19, was found with burns on 98 per cent of her body on Saturday night. 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The first firefighters arriving on the scene saw Chambers' car on fire and noted that while there was an inferno raging inside the car, the trunk and engine compartment didn't seem to have as much damage to them (via Clarion Ledger). Jerry King testified that he found the keys in a ditch near his house two days after the death of Chambers, attached to a pink string and a Chambers auto repair tag. Jessica Chambers Mom Revisits Spot Where She Burned Alive, 5 Cousins Killed After Car Hits Bridge Barricade and Falls into Mississippi Creek, Wisc. Champion said Tellis first told investigators he only saw Chambers on the morning of her death. They discovered his requests and her rejections in emails he had deleted. Chambers was found walking on the road wearing only underwear in 40 degree temperatures when a passing motorist spotted her shortly after 8 p.m., Champion said. A lawyer on Tellis' defense team, Darla Palmer, is using Haley's initial statement as a foundation of her client's defense. A coroner later would say that Chambers had burns over 98% of her body. Her car keys were later found nearby, and they had Tellis' DNA on them, Champion said. Jessica was full of life and Jessica was stubborn as a mule, her mom LisaChambers said. An initial autopsy report revealed the teen died from severe burns that covered 98 percent of her body, NBC affiliate WFLA reported. She was small, weighing "90 pounds on a good day," her mother once said. At one time she wanted to be a book writer. But, her most consistent aspiration was to become a registered nurse,her mother said. Police believe that the 34-year-old had been tortured and stabbed more than 30 times, according to KNOE-TV, in order to force her to reveal the PIN code to her debit card. Discovery, Inc. (Screenshot from ID's "Jessica Chambers: An ID Murder Mystery"). Her body was severely burned,. Chambers had burns on about 93 percent of her body when she was found. The man accused of killing 19-year-old Jessica Chambers burned her alive in her car after he mistakenly thought he had suffocated her, the prosecution alleged in its opening statement Tuesday. Volunteer firefighter Brandie Davis testified during the trial that he also heard the name Eric when he asked Chambers who burned her. Prosecutors later claimed that it contained evidence showing that Chambers had repeatedly refused Tellis for sex over texts. According to Buzzfeed, Chambers lived with her mother, across the street from her grandmother, and her father and stepmother lived just down the street. "She kept asking for water. "She said 'Eric set me on fire,'" Palmer said. In the October 2017 trial against Quinton Tellis, no verdict was reached. Jessica Chambers horrific death rocked the nation. WebAuthorities said Chambers was soaked in fuel in her car on a rural road, set on fire and then stumbled through a roadside ditch before she was spotted by a passing motorist who News-Star. Prosecutor John Champion, left, alleged Tells may have set Chambers and her car on fire after mistakenly believing he had suffocated her. Mieke Oorts alleged killer used a GPS tracking device to stalk her and would drive up and down the road where she lived to intimidate her. Her face was fried out like she had stuck it in a light socket. that she sold marijuana and dated a gang member surged in the aftermath of her death, when Chambers life became subject to just as much intense scrutiny as the mystery of her death, which occurred at a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, an hour or so away from Courtland. According to Buzzfeed, Jessica left home at 5 p.m. on the night of the murder, telling her mother that she was going to make a trip to a gas station nearby. OXFORD, Miss A funeralwas held Tuesday for the mother of Jessica Chambers, Lisa Lynne Chambers, who died over the weekend. The teenager, who Champion said he believes Tellis suffocated Chambers and thought he had killed her. Photo by: Warner In the aftermath police questioned not only Jessicas former boyfriends but also convicted drug dealers who might have had a connection to her. Hsiao's body was found at her apartment on August 8, 2015. Jessica Chambers was just 19 when she was burned alive. Champion said cellphone records show that Chambers and Tellis - who had met about two weeks before her death and had become friends - were together twice on the day she was burned. This story was originally published on Dec. 22, 2015. Legal Statement. Prosecutors alleged that Tellis had pestered Chambers for sex that she repeatedly rebuffed. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. According to the plea deal outlined in court, Tellis admitted to using Hsiaos debit card without authorization to withdraw at least $1,000. By Beth Karas Deputy Prosecutor Jay Hale holds up a Who did this to you? asked Daniel Cole, Director of Emergency Operations in the county. WebThe shocking mystery of the death of Jessica Chambers, the Mississippi teenager who was found by first responders on a highway with burns on more than 93 percent of her body The trial is happening in the Panola County seat here less than 10 miles from the scene of the crime. One of Hsiaos neighbors gave police a license plate number of a man who gave her a creepy feeling, and later identified that man as Tellis, the documents state. She was a loving child, Ben Chambers, her dad said on the first episode of The Killing of Jessica Chambers Jessica had her faults as everybody does. February:Man indicted in teen's fiery 2014 death still awaiting trial July 2016:Suspect pleads not guilty in fiery death of 19-year-old woman, He saw Chambers in the middle of the road, clothed in her underwear and no bra. Prosecutor John Champion, left, alleged Tells may have set Chambers and her car on fire after mistakenly believing he had suffocated her. If Chambers had indeed named her assailant as Tellis defense attorney, Darla Palmer, argued during his first trial then Tellis could not have been involved, since no one knew him as Eric or Derek.. Why wasnt gasoline also detected on other items from the scene? Chambers and Tellis rode around in her car for a while that morning before Chambers dropped off Tellis at his house and she went home to take a nap, the prosecutor said. Champion said Tellis first told investigators he only saw Chambers on the morning of her death. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, One of Chamber's ex-boyfriends, Bryan Rudd, was ruled out as a suspect by investigators early on in the investigation as he had been living in Iowa at the time, a move he had made to get out of Courtland after Chambers broke up with him. Tellis was indicted in February 2016 in connection with Chambers' death as hesat in Ouachita Parish Jail in Monroe, La. He also said that he saw a suspicious person in the area. They discovered his requests and her rejections in emails he had deleted. Haley and two other firefighters had responded to a truck driver's call about a car fire Dec. 6, 2014, on Herron Road just outside Courtland, Miss.

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