Don't know what in the world came over me, Christopher P. Stokes told a Wisconsin court. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. First one jury, then a second, failed to reach a verdict on whether an accused man splashed fuel on Jessica Chambers and caused the 19-year-old former high school cheerleader to die by setting her on fire on a rural Mississippi road in 2014. Theres no word yet if hell be tried a third time in Chambers murder. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! But in her last moments, Chambers was able to name someone, as belabored as her speech may have been. Tellis has pleaded not guilty to Hsiaos murder, just as he and his defense attorney maintained his innocence through the two Chambers trials. No trial date has been set in that case. This is beyond murder, Jessicas father said then. Unspeakable Crime: The Killing of Jessica Chambers, In the October 2017 trial against Quinton Tellis, no verdict was reached. Jessica's mother, Lisa, called to check on her after the 19-year-old had been gone for two hours. Photo by: Warner Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Her car keys were later found nearby, and they had Tellis' DNA on them, Champion said. They rushed to the scene and found a 2005 Kia Rio burning and started trying to put out the flames. Investigators found burned items at the crime scene, including parts of a cell phone. Her stepmother Debbie Chambers said that his untimely death was a catalyst for Chambers changing her social scene. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Several first-responder witnesses called to the stand Wednesday said she appeared to say"Eric," but she was difficult to understand because of her charred mouth and the loudness of rescue equipment in the background. According to Buzzfeed, Chambers lived with her mother, across the street from her grandmother, and her father and stepmother lived just down the street. On December 6, 2014, a 19-year-old cheerleader named Jessica Chambers was set on fire in the small town of Courtland, Mississippi. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. The Panola County Sheriffs Lt. Edward Dickson confirmed in his testimony that he found a phone belonging to Chambers, and some burned clothing. "She didn't say any other name.". If convicted of Jessicas murder, he faces life in prison without parole. Authorities have said previously that Chambers was on fire when she was found. However, this call became much more than a routine call when a young woman, dressed only in her underwear and covered head to toe in burns approached them and asked for help (via Darkhorse Press). Karas said that the judge concluded that any potential prosecutorial misconduct by Champion "was not prejudicial" to Tellis. Her friend Lakesha Meyer claimed that Chambers sold marijuana. But circumstantial evidence links him to the crime: He was caught using Hsaio's debit cards after her murder, and police have obtained cell phone and ATM data that they say places him at the scene. (AP) - The night a 19-year-old Mississippi woman was burned to death, she and her killer had sex in her car and he thought he had suffocated her before he torched her vehicle with her inside, a prosecutor said Tuesday in an opening statement, presenting his theory of what led to the gruesome slaying. Tellis later acknowledged they were together in the evening, saying he met her to sell her marijuana and had sex with her in her car, Champion said. Chambers had burns on about 93 percent of her body when she was found. How much gasoline would one need to set an entire car on fire? Ben Chambers said that according to police, a passerby discovered the girl not far from her vehicle, which had been set ablaze. 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. Discovery, Inc. (Screenshot from ID's "Jessica Chambers: An ID Murder Mystery"), Warner Bros. Yet the apparent disconnect over the name loomed large after Tellis was charged with Jessicas murder and went to trial last October. The trial in Batesville, Miss., about 50 miles south of Memphis, is the focus of tight security. I was face to face with her, and you could barely understand her, said Haley, according to the New York Daily News. 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. Despite suffering from smoke inhalation and having been severely burned on almost her entire body, Chambers managed to escape. She could be stubborn.. Daniel Cole, director of Panola County (MS) Emergency Operations, read part of his report out, that said he saw a suspicious person an older black male noting the tag number.. "I understand the indecision because its a reflection of the community," Karas said. She had burns over 98 percent of her body. Tellis was indicted in February 2016 in connection with Chambers' death as hesat in Ouachita Parish Jail in Monroe, La. Jessica Chambers horrific death rocked the nation. 2023 Warner Bros. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, Pool). School was no longer a priority for her and she found a new group of friends. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Police found her walking on the side of a rural road near her burning car around 8 p.m. on December 6, 2014. Logically, someone might have taken the keys from the crime scene to later discard them but who? While he was not able to make contact with this person, he did note the license plate number, according to WMC-TV, an NBC affiliate in Memphis, Tennessee. According to Karas, the first jury came from Pike County and was sequestered, while the new jury would come from Oktibbaha County. 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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. May 2016:Suspect in torching death of Miss. This photo, provided by Fox affiliate WHBQ, shows 19-year-old Jessica Chambers of Panola County, Miss. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! AP (Quinton Tellis, left, is accused of burning 19-year-old Jessica Chambers alive in her car.). They even explored the possibility that her boyfriend who was in prison at the time of the murder had ordered a hit on her. 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. Friends Claim It Was Domestic Violence. "She said 'Eric set me on fire,'" Palmer 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. She died a short time later at the hospital. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Jessicas smile would just light up a room when she came in.. He was contacted the night Chambers was burned and said she had third-degree burns over 90 percent of her body. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! At one time she wanted to be a teacher, her mother said. Did she know kids that were in the gangs? John Champion, District Attorney for Panola County said in the documentary series. This undated photograph released by the families of Jessica Chambers and her sister Amanda Prince, shows Jessica Chambers taken in Courtland, Miss. I did not personally hear her say 'Eric.' Discovery, Inc. or its subsidiaries and affiliates. The Killing of Jessica Chambers Bonus 105: The Impact of Jessica Chambers' Death, The Killing of Jessica Chambers 105: The Defense, The Killing of Jessica Chambers Bonus 105: "I Hate this Place". One responder said it could have been Derrick, but most heard Eric. Photo by: Warner Bros. Eric set me on fire, she reportedly said to first responders on the scene when asked what happened. "He insisted this is not something he would do," Palmer said. Champion said she could have been saying "Tellis," but the damage done to her throat made it sound different. According to Buzzfeed, amateur detectives began trying to solve the case on their own, however, they developed their own theories and sometimes followed information that was blatantly false, and at times even harassed Chambers' family and friends. 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. Born on February 2, 1995 in the state of Mississippi, Clarion-Ledger; Ashley Mott,The (Monroe, La.) Jessica Chambers was just 19 when she was burned alive. He also said that he saw a suspicious person in the area. After a mistrial last year, suspect Quinton Tellis will go to trial again this month in the Mississippi murder of 19-year-old Jessica Chambers. Jessica Chambers' murder drew a substantial amount of media coverage, especially in the days after it occurred. He said Tellis repeatedly lied to investigators about spending time with her in the hours before she was found. August 2015:Jessica Chambers' father: 'We're near the end' February 2015:Authorities release more details on burned teen's last day. Yeah. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. This is breaking my heart. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. "Horrific burns," Champion said. All rights reserved. The judge in the case declared a mistrial, opening the door for prosecutors to try Tellis a second time on the murder charge. 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. Previously, Tellis had been in the parish jail accused of using Hsiao's debit card three times after her death. "She didn't say any other name.". According to Buzzfeed, Chambers' father's job at the Sheriff's department meant that he was notified. He says he has told Chambers family that the outcome in Louisiana likely will dictate his next move. The video shows Chambers pumping gas, then as she walks toward the convenience store, she waves to someone off-camera, then walks over to them. But nobody really knows what happened that fateful night. BATESVILLE, Miss. However, gang members came forward to deny their involvement and offer condolences to Chambers' family (via Darkhorse Press). 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. In the October 2017 trial against Quinton Tellis, no verdict was reached. 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. Palmer also said eight first responders who treated Chambers asked her if she knew who did it. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. The answers to these questions may be crucial to figuring out how the fire started. 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. Witnesses will include cellphone data experts, Champion said. According to her obituary, Lisa Chambers died Friday, October 29, 2021, at age 52 at a hospital in Oxford, Mississippi. Tellis' trial began in Batesville, Mississippi, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Memphis, Tennessee. Still, Jessica was well-regarded and by all accounts well-liked by pretty much everyone she knew, which is what made the shocking way she was murdered all the more mysterious. Prosecutors alleged that Tellis had pestered Chambers for sex that she repeatedly rebuffed. Aiden Fucci allegedly told people he was going to kill someone by taking them in the woods and stabbing them, authorities said. Surveillance video from the gas station shows that Chambers was at the gas station (via Acton News 5). Lisa Chambers said her daughter left the house about 5:15 p.m., saying she was going to clean out her car and get something to eat. Police found her walkingon the side of a rural roadnear her burning cararound 8 p.m. on December 6, 2014. WebForensic pathologist Dr.Erin Barnhart told jurors that Jessica Chambers died from smoke and soot inhalation and thermal heat exposure. But Karas said that for her, the murder is most memorable due to the horrific nature of the crime. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. Dec. 6, 2014: Chambers was discovered on Herron Road in Panola County, moving away from her burning car. In November, Champion told WDAM a TV news station in Hattiesburg, Mississippi I thought our case was good, but I feel like their evidence [in Louisiana] is a lot stronger than ours.. 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 grew up in Courtland, Mississippi, a town with a population of 526, per World Population Review. Tellis later acknowledged they were together in the evening, saying he met her to sell her marijuana and had sex with her in her car, Champion said. The prosecutor also said Tellis' alibi was fabricated. Lisa Chambers was outspokenover the years after the murder of her daughter Jessica Chambers, who was found burned alive in Courtland, Mississippi, in December 2014. 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. According to Investigation Discovery, in 2019, Tellis was charged with a completely unrelated 2015 murder of University of Louisiana-Monroe graduate student Meing-Chen Hsaio. 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. "The prosecution has given notice of a speech pathologist," she said, who could potentially testify to the effects of severe burns on speech. Among the clues to her killer: Several first-responders reported hearing Chambers utter a name that sounded like Eric or Derek, possibly steering them toward her attacker. Champion said he believes Tellis suffocated Chambers and thought he had killed her. Palmer also said eight first responders who treated Chambers asked her if she knew who did it. Will Turner, another firefighter, said that the black man approached him, and that though he asked the man to leave several times, the man just gave him a blank stare. He asked Davis to note the tag number, presumably off the car. In October 2017, Jessica Chambers accused killer, Mississippi, with burns covering 98 percent of her body. He later was charged with murdering that student, 34-year-old Meing-Chen Hsiao. Her body was severely burned,. At one time she wanted to be a book writer. But, her most consistent aspiration was to become a registered nurse,her mother said. "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. 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 woman was 19-year-old, Jessica Chambers. When she was cheering, she knew she looked good, Berdain told PEOPLE for a 2016 cover story. He said Tellis repeatedly lied to investigators about spending time with her in the hours before she was found. The two mistrials leave the door open for a third attempt to try Tellis for Chambers murder, if Champion decides to go forward. In Palmer's opening statement Tuesday, she said at least eight first responders in the trial expected to last two weeks will testify that Chambers said someone named Eric had set her on fire. Her father, Ben Chambers, said Jessica and her vehicle were burning for at least 30 minutes before the fire department reached them. This piece of information obviously helped Quentin Tellis' case, since defense attorneys pointed out that she knew Quentin's name.

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