Unspeakable Crime: The Killing of Jessica Chambers (2018–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - A Dying Declaration - full transcript

- Courtland resident,
Quinton Tellis,

has been charged
with capital murder.

His trial is set
for October of 2017.

- The answer we've all
been waiting to hear

for the last three years--
the explosive allegations

from the state on what happened

to 19-year-old Jessica Chambers

the night she was burned alive.

- There were rumors that
it was a gang thing,

or it had something
to do with drugs.

- You have knowledge
that Jessica actually



was involved with
selling marijuana.

- Yes.

- Jessica was threatened.

Her words were, "Mama, these
bitches think I'm snitchin'."

- I think he suffocated her
and thought he had killed her.

- A middle-aged
black male walked up.

I mean, he gave me a stare
that I've never seen before.

He stared straight through me.

He seemed suspicious.

- He said that that is his
five-gallon gasoline container

in the shed.

- He did the lie detector test.

He passed it.

- What they're trying to
do to him, is just wrong.



- I said, "Honey,
who did this to you?"

And all I heard
was, "Eric."

- Eric is not on
trial here today.

He should be.

- We're all sinners, all of us.

We're habitual sinners.

This Lord forgives us
when we ask him personally

to forgive us.

We're a Christian
county overall.

We're the Bible Belt.

We believe in Jesus Christ.

- So, the tradition here
is that the whites

go to the white churches,

blacks go to the black churches,

and I don't think it's anything

that's racial necessarily
in our minds.

It's just what we grew up doing.

- Now, you still have
those that are prejudice.

As they say,
they come from old school.

Everybody has their place.

But, as the younger
people come along,

it's more accepted.

- Years ago,
I remember going to town

and couldn't even
look at a white person.

And if we was on the sidewalk,

and they was walkin'
on the sidewalk,

we had to get off the
sidewalk and let them pass.

Now, they take racism here.

They covers it up
with certain niceties.

And things, to me,
they've changed a little bit,

but they're still the same.

- Race is strong here.

It's not just white people.

It's on black
people's side, too.

But then two false
don't make no right.

You hear me?

- Contrary to popular belief,
we're all inclusive.

I mean, we-we don't
shut out anybody.

I have black friends,
white friends.

I have black customers,
white customers.

Our kids play sports together.

In Heaven, there's not
gonna be one color.

- I want people to remember
that Jessica didn't see color.

She loved life.

That's the one thing I guess
I have to be grateful for,

that she doesn't have to
see the way these people

are acting about color.

- So, I looked at her,
and I said,

"Is your name
Jessica Chambers?"

- Jessica was one of my
customers at the Exxon station

I managed.

She came in regularly.

She was funny.

We laughed a lot.

This is my daughter.
My 15-year-old.

Blonde hair and blue eyes.

She knew Jessica.

I just don't want the
media to put a wedge

in Batesville, Mississippi.

There's enough wedges already.

And I'm hoping that people
will not let all the drama

that's unfolding
take over our lives.

- So far, in the
Quinton Tellis trial,

we've heard from
the first responders

who were at the scene.

Most of them heard Jessica say
that Eric or Derrick did this.

Now, lead investigator,
Barry Thompson,

is about to take the stand.

Thompson initially
interviewed Quinton Tellis

on December 10th, 2014,

just four days after
Jessica was set on fire.

- Investigator Thompson, were
you able to find out that

Quinton Tellis,
among other people,

had some contact
with Jessica Chambers?

- Yes.

- Even to the day of her murder?
- Yes.

- You described
this contact interview

as a fact-finding
mission, correct?

- Yes, sir.

- Quinton was on
our radar early on,

but it's at that point when
we were trying to identify

the Erics and the Derricks
that she may have known.

- Now, the name Eric and
Derrick was out there,

correct?
- Yes.

- And did Quinton Tellis
give you a name of somebody?

- He told me that he believed
that Derrick Holmes

had been stalking Jessica.

- Did you or other investigators

look into Derrick Holmes?
- We did.

- And was Derrick Holmes
ever developed as a suspect

in this matter?

- Not as a viable suspect
in this matter, no.

- Police confirmed Derrick
Holmes was with his mother

at the time of the crime,

so he was ruled out
as a suspect.

- You testified that
Quinton Tellis admitted

to being with Jessica the
morning of December 6th, 2014.

- Yes, sir, he did tell us
that they had ridden around

that-- earlier that morning.

- Did he tell you that
he had been with her at all

the rest of that day?
- No.

- In fact, did he
tell you he had not?

- He did.

- And he actually
told you who he was with

during the time of the fire.

- That's correct.

He said he was with
Big Mike and Tudu,

which are Michael Sanford
and Terran Shegog.

- We came back and we
interviewed his alibi witnesses,

and we realized they
weren't even in town

at the time it happened.

Normally,
when people lie to you,

they're lying to you
for a reason.

- Cross.

- At the time of the crime,
Mr. Tellis indicated

that he was with Big Mike
and Shegog.

- Yes.

- Did he give you
a specific time?

- He had told us that they had
ridden around that morning.

- Do you have a timeline,
as you sit here today,

as to when Miss Chambers
would have been set on fire?

- I mean, it would have
been-- the-the time--

the exact time she was
set on fire? No.

- Okay.

So, if you don't know the exact
time that she was set on fire,

how could Mr. Tellis
have told you

that he was with them
during that time?

That's the crime we're here
talking about, correct?

- Yes, sir.

- The crime we're
talking about is actually

setting Jessica Chambers
on fire, correct?

- Yes.

- So, if you don't
know the timeline,

as you sit here
testifying today,

how could Mr. Tellis
have told you

that he was with
Big Mike and Shegog

during that time?

- Well, based on the time
the call come in

and the burning of the car,

there would have been
a timeline laid out.

I mean, it wouldn't have took
the car five or six hours

to burn like that.

So, that's where the timeline
would have been developed.

- So, an approximate timeline.
- Yes.

- How could you put in
your report Quinton Tellis

tells us that, you know,
he was elsewhere

at the time of the crime

when you don't know
the time of the crime?

- Now, you actually were
not present in Courtland

or in Batesville
on December 6th, 2014.

- No, sir.
- Okay.

So, you were basically still
in control over everything

even though you were doing it

for the first couple
of days by phone.

- Yes, sir.

I mean, I-I-I'm not gonna
say I was in control of it

'cause I wasn't physically
there to be in control of it,

but I was-- it was being run
through me by telephone.

- Barry Thompson was calling
shots on what is one of

the most horrific crimes
probably in the history

of Panola County,

and he's ordering things to
be done without seeing it,

without being there.

That's problematic.

- I actually made the call to
have the car removed that night.

I don't question it
being moved too soon.

It was moved to a secure
location for processing.

The area was secured for further
processing in the daylight.

I won't re-question what we did
as far as moving the car.

- Her car should never even
left that spot that night.

You know,
that was a crime scene.

Her phone was laying
beside the car that night.

Ain't no telling what else
might have been beside the car.

Somebody should have stayed
there with it, you know,

'cause what kinda
evidence got lost?

- Everything in the car
was burned totally.

We could've stood there
and guarded it all night.

Did we ever think back and say
we should've done it another way?

Well, sure, we do.

You know, it's always
a learning experience.

- Now, let's talk a little bit
about the actual crime scene.

- I think maybe the FBI
and some of my guys took

a search and rescue team out
there to just walk that area.

Just looking for any
type of evidence

that could have been left.

- Now, do you know
the exact date

that this would
have taken place?

- Mr. Peterson, I-I-I'm
not even gonna guess.

I-I'm not sure.
- Certainly.

- It-it was shortly
afterwards, but, I mean,

it would have been
that following week.

In my opinion to you,

yes, it woulda happened
very soon after the crime.

We wouldn't have
waited weeks or months

to go look for evidence
that you--

to a crime that
happened on the 6th.

- Did you ever speak
with Lieutenant Dickson

about the crime scene
collection?

- No, sir. I don't--
not that I--

I mean, I'm sure we-- I'm--

I reviewed the evidence list,

but as far as speaking with him

about the actual
collection, no, sir.

- No further questions,
Your Honor.

- There was some
uncomfortable moments

that I had while
I was testifying,

but I'm not gonna let a defense
attorney get under my skin.

That's what they look for, is
to try to make an investigator

mad enough to get him confused.

He's not worth me gettin' mad
over because all I can do,

is tell him the truth
to the best of my knowledge.

I really enjoyed
being on the witness stand.

- Barry, hell,
he didn't know nothin',

and he's 'posed to be
the-- over all of it.

He couldn't tell you anything.

I could tell you more of
what went on than he did.

Why didn't you go over that
before you come to damn trial?

- I happened to see
a pink rope in a ditch

that had somethin' shiny on it.

- Go get the bucket.

Go grab the bucket
of balls, man.

I'm not gonna just chase
one ball all day.

There we go.

All right, get your bat.

You ready?

Tryin' to take my head off?

- Anabelle reminds me
so much of Jessica.

I mean-- Lord, yeah.

- Jessica loved
to play softball.

Jessica was really close
with little Ana,

and she was a great big sister,

but she also-- you could--

you could see that
little jealous streak.

You could see that.

- It's a hot potato.

Most of the time, Anabelle is
right here with me, you know?

I gotta raise her.

- That's another thing
that's hard on Ben.

Every day, he has to
look at a child

that looks almost identical

to the child he lost.

- Don't nothin'
make me happy no more,

and it's not fair to Anabelle

'cause she just a child.

It's just so tragic.

Life is so precious to be
cut so short for no reason.

- There was this theory
that Jessica was an informant

because her dad worked
for the sheriff's department,

and that she had been
murdered for snitching.

There has never been any
evidence to back that up.

- 'Cause I work for the
sheriff's department,

I mean, people had
thought that, but,

she never--
she never told on nobody.

- If somebody asked her not to
say somethin', she'd do it.

She wouldn't say nothin'.
She was not a snitch.

- By some accounts, Jessica
was your average teenager

where she fought
with her parents,

smoked weed sometimes.

By other accounts, Jessica was
hanging out with gang members,

and dealing drugs, and
causing all kinds of trouble.

- Everybody tries to make it
seem like she's a dopehead

and all this,
but she's a good soul.

She sold drugs here and there.

To who?
No one knows.

- If you have drugs, you have
gangs because they control

the street level narcotics,
and when you've got drugs,

you're gonna have violence.

I'm Jimmy Anthony.

I'm the counselor at
the sheriff's department.

I'm also responsible
for the gang intelligence.

Jessica Chambers was not
at the top of my radar list,

but she was known to hang
out with the Vice Lords.

She was moving around
in different sets

and different organizations,

but she never did anything
that was distinctive enough

to make her stand out.

As far as I know, there was
not an order to kill her.

There-- anything to that effect.

I cannot find a direct tie
other than the accused person

was a gang member.

- Jessica was not in a gang.

She was not labeled
a gang member.

She was what you call
a gang member's girlfriend.

- My name is Demarcio Coleman,

but, um, my alias is Yao.

Most people like
to call me King Yao.

Anything that was
being pushed around here,

it had to come through me.

It's kind of like
a distribution network

like Walmart and warehouses.

The main three products
would be marijuana, cocaine,

and, for some odd reason,

everybody like methamphetamines.

I might make a little bit
over $100,000-$140,000 a day.

The Jessica Chambers case, man,

it was the worst
time of my life.

The police, they knew that
Jessica dealt with drugs,

and the thing with her
gettin' with black guys,

that's what kicked it out.

Like, we're gonna get
all them son of bitches.

- Seventeen arrests,

all part of
"Operation Bite Back".

- I think a lot of people
look at-at Jessica and saw

a 19-year-old blonde girl,
former cheerleader...

but numbers that were
taken from her phone

did lead to where
the FBI pinned down

a lot of people who were
trafficking drugs.

- The FBI says it investigated
suspected members

of the Black Gangster Disciples,

Vice Lords, and Sib Mob gangs.

- There are white gang
members in Mississippi,

but police seemed to
concentrate in their roundup

on black gang members.

There were 17 black gang
members that they rounded up.

- So, what the police made
their business was to do--

contact every drug dealer
there was in the county.

Like, "Look, this girl dead.

"Somebody fittin'
to go to prison.

"You know anything?"

Every law enforcement
agency was here.

Like, they shut down the money.

It was roadblocks everywhere.

Ain't no way I can get
600 pounds of weed

in and outta here in a day.

Ain't no way.

- Quinton Tellis dropped out
of school in eighth grade.

He's been in and out of jail
and prison since then.

In fact, Quinton Tellis
was released in October 2014,

just two months before
Jessica's murder.

- When it all happened, and
they said Quinton had somethin'

to do with it,
we was all like...

We doubt it, but okay.

If that's who they gonna
send to prison for it, bye.

Do I think Quinton
had the intelligence

to do somethin' like that?

No, I don't think he--
the boy can't write.

And being able to get rid of
the evidence by his self?

Impossible.

But I think Quinton will
be the fall guy for this

because when somethin' lingers
in the state of Mississippi,

things have to
go away real fast.

Their case became worldwide.

It wasn't just
some Mississippi case

that we can actually
sweep under the rug

and, shh, be quiet.

What's gonna happen is,

they're gonna
give him some time,

and they're gonna
forget about him.

Case closed.
That's out the way now.

Somebody went to prison
for the murder.

But let me say this.

You had to be a
real dumb black man

to burn up a white girl
in the state of Mississippi.

- Let's go, boy.

- First, they say that
he couldn't be there,

and he was telling them
that's it's open court.

Why come he couldn't be there?

So, I am pissed, mad because
this is an ongoing thing.

They're harassing him
all the time.

- He was just picked up
on a misdemeanor warrant,

but he is a previous person that
we've had to deal with before.

And we can address people that
we don't feel comfortable with

as a possible threat
to our courthouse,

and he has a, reputation
for causing trouble.

- I think he suffocated her.

- I'm just trying to ascertain--

- Everyone in this community
is glued to their screen.

The prosecution is continuing
to build this case

against Quinton Tellis.

We've already heard from lead
investigator Barry Thompson,

and now Ed Dickson
is taking the stand.

He's second in command.

Barry Thompson was out of town
when this happened.

He was phoning in orders
to Lieutenant Dickson,

who was physically there
at the crime scene

and the one responsible

for gathering
and collecting evidence.

- Edward, describe
for the jury, please,

what you observed upon
your arrival at the scene.

- When I arrived on the scene,
there was a vehicle.

I wasn't sure the color
of the vehicle

'cause it was completely burned.

It was kind of pulled up,

kind of wedged in between
a couple of trees.

- What are you
actually looking for

during your initial
walk-through?

- When you get there, you don't
know what's really going on.

You treat all areas
like a crime scene.

So, then you secure the area.

And you start marking
anything that be--

might be related to
this particular crime.

- And did you begin to
photograph some of the things

that you were observing?

- Yes, sir, I did.

- Tell me if you can identify
what's on this board.

- Obviously, the burned vehicle.

Number two is gonna be
a cell phone.

Number four
is gonna be a lighter.

Number three is gonna be
the back of the cell phone,

and number five is
also another lighter.

- And that's what you
observed at the scene.

Is that correct?
- Yes, sir, that's correct.

- What is on the other
side of this vehicle?

- It's kinda like
a-a wooded area.

It had trees and-and bushes
on the passenger side.

- Was there anything
else over there?

- I would have to refer
back to the pictures.

I can't remember.
- Was there a fence over there?

- There could be a
fence line there.

- Tender the witness.
- You may cross-examine.

- Thank you, Your Honor.

- Detective Dickson, you were at
home when you received a call

concerning the car fire and
the possible burned person?

- Yes, sir, that's correct.

- And where do you live?

- I live in Sardis.

- Sardis-- and how far is
that from where we are now?

- I would have to drive
and tell you that.

I couldn't give you
the estimated miles.

I don't know.
- Okay.

How long does it take you to
drive to work every morning?

- I never clock myself
going to work.

- Do you recall who was there
at the scene when you arrived?

- No, sir, I can't remember.

There were several people there.

- How much area was located
between the-the actual vehicle

and the fence?

- About three and
a half, four feet.

- Did you actually
take any measurements

when you were there?
- No, sir, I did not.

- What did you consider
to be the crime scene?

- My crime scene actually
was the burnt vehicle.

- Okay.

- And anything on the outskirts
of that burnt vehicle

would be considered
as a crime scene.

- Okay.

Did your crime scene extend to
the other side of that fence?

- Not the other side.

Just, between the,
between the vehicle

and the fence itself.

- Okay. Did you walk
around in this area?

- I did.
Yes, sir, I did.

- So-- and-and I'm just
trying to ascertain,

for purposes of
your crime scene,

you didn't actually go on
the other side of that fence,

did you?
- I didn't. No, sir.

- Did one of your investigators?

- You'll have to
check with them, sir.

I said I didn't go.
I don't know.

- Well, Mr. Dickson, they
were under your direction

on this particular event.
- That's correct.

- Did you direct any of your
investigators to investigate

the area on the other
side of the fence?

- No, sir, I did not.

- Now, this vehicle ended up
at the sheriff's department.

- Yes, sir.

- When did it arrive there?

- I'm not sure because
I didn't follow the vehicle.

- Okay.

Do you know
who moved the vehicle?

- No, sir. You'll have
to check your records.

I don't know.

- Sir, but I'm just asking you
what-what you know, sir.

- And I'm testifying
to what I know.

- Certainly.
My question was,

do you know
who moved the vehicle?

- No, sir, I do not.
- Okay.

- I can't believe
that he's, you know,

answering like that
and being as vague as he is.

He shoulda came
and secured the area

like you were supposed to

and the way you're supposed
to have been trained to do.

I don't know.

I just don't think
the police did a great job.

- He couldn't even tell 'em
if the car was moved

that night or the next day.

Come on, now.

Couldn't even tell-tell
the man how far he lived

from his house to the jail?

Been doin' it for 22 years.

I bet you can ask Anabelle--
she's seven years old--

how long it take her to
get from here to school.

I bet she can tell you.

- You have to understand what
was going on at the scene.

You've got so much excitement,

and you have so much
chaos out there.

The heat destroyed
a lot of the evidence.

Everything in the car
was burned totally,

but we-we done a good search
of the perimeter around it.

- We found a set of keys
that belonged to Jessica

about maybe a quarter
of a mile down the road

from where Jessica's
car was burned.

Early on, that was a pretty
important clue to us,

which led us to believe
that whoever had her keys,

one, was walking or, two,
chucked them out of a car.

We submitted the keys
for DNA testing.

- Everybody that we
talked to originally,

we pulled DNA samples of.

Quinton Tellis was in that
initial group of individuals

that was sent down,
and, of course,

h-his came back positive
for DNA on the keys.

- Okay.

- You know, what I
suspect that happened is,

somethin' occurred when they
were in the car together.

I suspect that he felt like
he probably had killed her

and had to get her away
from his house.

He drives the car out there,

douses the car
and Jessica with gas,

sets it on fire.
Then he runs.

He takes the keys with him.

Throws the keys down
along the way

back to his sister's house.

- You may call
your next witness.

- Jerry King.

- All right, Mr. King,
on December 8th of 2014,

what were you doing
that particular afternoon?

- I was strolling my
daughter down the road.

- How old is your daughter?

- She's four now,
so she was probably one.

- Did you see anything layin'
off the side of the road

on Main Street and Courtland
on December 8, 2014?

- Yes, I, I happened
to see a pink rope in a ditch

that had somethin' shiny on it.

- Did you pick it up?
- Yes, sir.

- What did it end up being?

- It happened to be some keys.

- Is this the item that
you retrieved off the side

of Main Street?
- Yes, sir.

- And, at the time,
who did you hand the keys to?

- I-I had handed them
to my daughter

as I was strolling
back to the house.

- Your Honor,
I tender the witness.

- Cross.

- Good afternoon, Mr. King.

Mr. King, you are from the
Courtland area, correct?

- Yes, sir.

- And you live there with who?

- My girlf-- well, my--
can I say my baby mama?

- You can say
whatever you like, sir.

I'm just asking the questions.

- All right.

- But that would be Mary Tiner.

- Yes.

- Now, what-what drew
your attention to this--

to this pink rope?

- It had somethin' shiny on it.

You know, I was just curious.

So, you know,
I just picked it up

and gave it to my
daughter to play with,

which I shouldn't have,
but I did.

- How long did she play
with those keys, Mr. King?

- Maybe five, six minutes.

We went back to the house,

and that's when we
seen the symbol on it

that said Ben Chambers' Auto,

and that's when we called
the police, Tyler Mills.

- Agent Tyler Mills,
how do you know him?

- Um, from numerous times
that he's done pulled me over

and stuff in Courtland.

- Okay.

Mr. Mills came out.
He questioned you.

- Yes, sir.

Well, he asked where
did we find 'em at,

and we took him back down there,

placed 'em where--
at some-- you know,

where I found 'em at,
and he took photos.

- The keys are
somewhat of a problem.

It's fine to take
pictures of the keys,

but don't put them in the spot

where they were found
or approximately found.

It's almost like
fabricating evidence.

- It didn't add up right.

It wasn't addin' up.

- And, um, she was at the house
the day that Jessica's keys

were brought in.

I find it odd that
he found her keys.

I feel like he's lyin'
'cause, to me,

the placement of it don't--
it just don't sound right,

and Jerry is not gonna be
out walkin' his-his child.

And then the detectives
interviewin' me

asked me what kind
of guy he was.

"Do you think she-- he
could somethin' like this?"

I won't put nothin'
past Jerry King.

He's been arrested
numerous times.

You can't put much stock
into what he says.

- Good afternoon, Agent Mills.

- Afternoon.

- Would part of your duties
involve the collection

of evidence?
- Yes.

Most of our evidence
is taken from there,

put inside of a bag,
taken to the,

crime lab, if need be.

- Is there a protocol that you
would follow for the collection

of evidence that you're gonna
use in a criminal case.

- No, sir.
I've never collected

evidence in a criminal
type investigation.

- Okay.

Was there someone
at Panola County

who would have been dedicated
to investigating homicides?

- The major crime detective
is Major Barry Thompson.

- Did it dawn on you
to call Mr. Thompson?

- I told him.

- Did he instruct you
to take pictures of it?

- Yes, sir.

- Did he know that
they had been moved?

- No, sir, not at the time.

No, sir.

- Agent Mills, explain to the
jury why you felt the need

to take pictures of keys--
of those keys.

- Just in case they were
part of evidence for the crime.

- And in doing so,

do you feel like
maybe you have created

a false perception?
- No, sir.

- The defense attorneys, it's
their jobs to make an issue

out of somethin'
that's a non-issue,

and I think a non-issue is

the keys being placed back down.

We wanted photographs of the
exact area where those keys

were found, which is
directly on the route

that would have been
traveled by Quinton.

- We're relying on
Jerry King's word

that's where he found them.

So, besides King,
there's no other proof

that's where they were.

This is evidence
in a murder case.

I've never seen anything
like this before.

We've been hearing a lot
about Jessica's keys

that were found
at the side of the road

on December 8th,

just two days after
she was set on fire.

Multiple people handled those
keys before they were secured

by the sheriff's department.

Now, we're gonna hear testimony
from Katherine Rogers.

She's the DNA expert
who analyzed the keys.

- Miss Rogers, were you asked
to perform a series of tests

on a set of keys?

- Yes, I was.

DNA from more than one person
was detected on that keychain,

and lanyard, and all
the other items attached.

- How many males were included
in the Y chromosome mixture?

- So, the Y chromosome mixture
that was performed on the keys

contained at least four
individuals, which, of course,

all have to be male because
it's that Y chromosome testing.

- So, Derrick Holmes
on the Y chromosome.

- Um, he was excluded from
the Y chromosome mixture.

- All right.

And then you also
tested Jerry King.

- Correct.

Um, no conclusion could be
drawn regarding Jerry King

as a contributor to the
Y chromosome mixture.

Um, in other words, it's
inconclusive whether or not

he's a part of that mixture.

- And in that Y
chromosome mixture,

is Quinton Tellis' DNA in there?

- His reference DNA sample
cannot be excluded

as a contributor
to that mixture.

- Quinton Tellis came back
positive for DNA on the keys.

Now, with it being a mixture,
there were three other males.

- The prosecution is presenting
this evidence as proof

that Quinton's DNA
is on those keys.

But, according to a
DNA expert I spoke to,

this Y chromosome STR test
can be often unreliable.

What this test reveals
is that Quinton's DNA

shares some genetic similarities

to DNA found on the keys.

But even if there was a match,

Quinton Tellis says
he drove her car one night,

so there is an explanation
for his DNA on the keys,

independent of
the night of her murder.

- Cross.

- Ms. Rogers, you are not able
to determine when his DNA

became a part of the keys,

the chain, the rope,
or the tags, correct?

- That's correct.
- Okay.

- Um, we can't tell how long
the DNA has been on an item,

um, only that we detect it.

- But, at this point,
we have four.

We have Quinton Tellis as one.

Possibly Jerry King,
but we don't know.

- Correct.

- Okay, and then that leaves

two additional male contributors

that we don't know who they are.

- That's correct.
- Thank you, Ms. Rogers.

- I was really waiting
for the DNA evidence

'cause I thought, wow,
this is going to be pretty powerful,

but it wasn't as strong
as I thought it would be.

I thought they would come up
with something that would link

Quinton Tellis to that murder,

and they didn't
really have a lot.

- This is one of the cases

where we have very little
physical evidence.

But, on the other hand,
the keys came back

with Quinton Tellis' DNA
in the keys.

- They're trying to frame
somebody with the case,

actually.
- Yeah.

- And you-you
can't use the keys.

It-- I mean, it's not right.

It's not right.

- There's two sides
to every story.

But we know him.

We've dealt with him forever.

His aggression and comments
that were being made

is the reason
that he was not allowed.

That's another
authority that I have,

but we took care of it
in a good way.

- Everybody has a place
in this state.

You learn your place,

you learn how to
stay in your place,

and you live.

Once you step outta
your boundaries,

then you will be put
back in your place.

That's just Mississippi.

And mess around
with Dennis Darby?

Don't mess with that man.

Don't mess with him.

He's powerful.

John Champion is also
the District Attorney

in five counties in the
state of Mississippi.

They treat him like God.

When it all come down to it,

just like I believe
in Vice Lord,

they believe in
their brotherhood.

- I don't put much faith
in Panola County's

law enforcement.

My opinion?

Kinda like a old fashion
witch-hunt, you know?

Quinton just looks
like the obvious one,

so let's go on
and pin it on him,

and be done with it.

Now, it's--
they're so far into it.

I don't think
they would change it

just for the fact of
it'd make them look bad.

But I'd rather change it
knowing somebody was innocent

and then find the real killer.

- I don't care
who the victim may be,

who the defendant may be.

I have never prosecuted somebody

that I had one scintilla
of doubt in my mind

was guilty.

- I have no doubt in my mind
that Quinton murdered Jessica.

- I don't know Quinton,
but I look at Quinton,

and I see a dumb, scared
little kid sittin' up there.

That just don't sound like
somebody who's guilty.

- All rise.
Court will come to order.

The Honorable Judge Gerald Chatham, Sr.
presiding.

- Thank you.
Be seated.

- Yesterday was a tough day
for the prosecution.

The DNA evidence
was underwhelming,

and there have been some issues
of mishandling of evidence.

- Court will recognize
the State of Mississippi

to call their next witness.

- Matthew Simon.

- Now, we're gonna hear
from ATF Agent Matt Simon.

He's a forensic chemist
who analyzed the fire debris.

He tested items
sent from the crime scene.

- Matthew Simon,

what requests were made of you?

- I received multiple jars

and a can of evidence

and was asked to
look for accelerants,

anything that was possibly
involved in a fire.

- Do you have an expert opinion
to a reasonable degree

of scientific certainty

as to what was contained
on the clothing

in exhibit six?

- Yes, I-I found gasoline
on the clothing.

- Quinton Tellis,
he showed them in that shed

that he had a can of
gasoline in that shed.

- Cross.

- Agent Simon,
as you sit here today,

can you tell me what kind
of clothing that was?

- All I have is,
it's burned cloth material

that resembles clothing.

- Was it clothing or
did it resemble clothing?

- I have in my notes that
it-it-it appeared to be

burned clothing.

- It's just a little piece
of cloth that was tested

that had gasoline on it,

but the agent couldn't even
say if it was clothing,

and that was out
in a rural area.

There's no telling
what's out there.

- Agent Simon,
item seven was a glass jar

containing burned hair.

- I did not--

- No ignitable
liquids on that item.

- Correct.
I did not find anything.

- Items eight, nine,
and ten also contained

no ignitable liquids.

- Correct. I did not
find any ignitable liquid.

- The prosecution has built
its case around the idea

that Quinton used gas to
set Jessica's car on fire

while she was in it alive,

but the evidence of that
is not really strong

because a number
of items were tested,

and most of them came back

without the presence
of gasoline.

- Their theory is
just fallin' apart.

If I was a juror,
I'd be shakin' my head.

- Never?
- Never.

- If he offered it,
why wouldn't you take it?

If it's so-called the gas can

that was supposed to have
been used in a murder,

that should be part
of the evidence.

- As the case is nearing an end,

the community has been split,

so you can feel
the tension in the air.

John Champion has a lot
of work ahead of him

because the prosecution still
hasn't tied Quinton Tellis

to the murder of
Jessica Chambers.

The question is,

will he be found guilty or not?

- A lot of people have just been trying
to piece things together themselves,

and I think they're
gonna feel a sigh of,

like, relief when
they finally figure out,

like, if Quinton was the one
who did this to Jessica.

- Most people, you know,
they think, well, he done it.

But, if he done it,
he deserves what he gets.

But, if he didn't, he doesn't.

- If he killed my daughter,

I hope he burns in hell
for all eternity.

- I mean, there's
two sides to every coin.

We want closure, but beyond
a shadow of a doubt.

There's gotta be more.

- I believe
Quinton Tellis killed,

and burned Jessica Chambers...

based off of the evidence,

without a doubt.

- Who's gonna stand
up for Quinton?

We want justice for her.

- That's right.

- But they so mad that they
ain't found who did it,

so they wanna pin it
to this young man.

- I mean, the case
is not lookin' good

for the prosecuting team.

So, hey, we might
have another O.J.

- He was confronted
with irrefutable evidence.

That's when Mr. Tellis
began to change his story.

- At this point, based on his
statement and the phone records

are Jessica and Quinton
Tellis together.

- They are.

- They showed me everything
I needed to know.

I absolutely believe he did it.

- If law enforcement had come
to me, I would have said,

"This is not your guy."