WAYNESBORO — Two murder cases and a capital murder case stemming from a felony child abuse case that resulted in a child’s death are all cases slated to be tried this week during this term of Wayne County Circuit Court.
District Attorney Bilbo Mitchell said this term of court “will be busy.”
According to this week’s docket, the case involving the state of Mississippi vs. Lonnie Young is scheduled to begin Monday.
Also, the case of the state of Mississippi vs. Charles Zebedee Henderson is on the docket.
Young, also known as Lonnis Young and Xmoe Dragon, was indicted by a January Grand Jury with the charge of murder.
Young is charged in the July 4, 2008, death of Otis Lee Morgan.
In the case of Henderson, a Wayne County Grand Jury in June indicted him with capital murder.
Henderson was arrested by the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department in May and was charged with one count of felony child abuse. However, that charge was later upgraded to capital murder following the death of two-year-old Allyson Allen.
Officials said for more than two weeks, the child battled for life following a reported incident earlier in May.
However, the grand jury indictment handed down in June states that Henderson “on or about May 7, 2009 did willfully, unlawfully and feloniously kill Allyson F. Allen, a human child, with or without any design to effect death while engaged in the commission of the felony crime of felonious child abuse or battery of a child, without authority of law: in violation of Mississippi Code Annotated Section 97-37-5.”
In May, Wayne County Justice Court Judge Jane Hutto denied Henderson bond on the capital murder charge, since capital murder is not a bondable offense.
Henderson remains in the Wayne County Jail awaiting his trial date, which has been set for Monday in Wayne County Circuit Court.
In another case, four people are expected to be tried for capital murder in connection to the 2008 death of a Clara woman.
A grand jury in June indicted four people in the case involving the March 6, 2008, murder of Janie Cooley Broadway Williams.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation handled the investigation into Williams’ death.
Williams, a Wayne County businesswoman, was murdered at around 1 a.m. that Thursday morning inside her home on Red Brown Drive in Clara near Waynesboro.
The four people indicted in connection with the local businesswoman’s death are: 36-year-old Angela Hope Busby, 31-year-old Jomorris Thornton, 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson, and 20-year-old Theaus White.
Busby, Johnson and Thornton have been indicted on murder/manslaughter charges. Busby, Johnson, Thornton and White were all indicted on conspiracy to commit murder.
According to the Wayne County Circuit Clerk’s Office, the four suspects’ trial has been scheduled for Thursday in Wayne County Circuit Court.
Mitchell said while all three cases are slated for this week, he anticipates two being continued until the next term of court.
“Right now, we are expecting to handle the case of Lonnie Young first,” Mitchell said. “All three are still on the docket and no decision will be made until Monday. Then, we will know just what cases will be tried.”
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