Results 1 to 3 of 3

Thread: Terry Hye, Jr. - Mississippi

  1. #1
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217

    Terry Hye, Jr. - Mississippi

    Murder victim's wife testifies in teen's capital murder trial

    A tearful widow had to relive the night her husband was shot to death on the witness stand Tuesday, as testimony began in the capital murder trial of Moss Point teenager Terry Hye, Junior.

    Hye is the second of four teens to stand trial for the 2008 death of Michael David Porter. The Hattiesburg man was shot after stopping to ask directions to his grandson's football game.

    Dressed in a navy suit and tie, Hye walked into a packed courtroom to face his capital murder charge. He was only 14 when he and three friends were charged in the robbery and shooting death of 44-year-old Michael David Porter.

    District attorney Tony Lawrence began the trial by telling the jury Hye participated in the crime, lied about it to police, and he should be punished.

    "At first, he denied being anywhere around or knowing anything about it. After a while, he broke down and said I would tell what I know," Lawrence said during opening statements.

    Defense Attorney Wendy Walker Martin said Hye was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

    "Terry is the one that said, I am not having anything to do with that. Just because you watch something happen and don't stop it, it does not make you guilty." Martin said.

    The victim's widow, Linda Porter, was the first witness to testify. Through tears, she told the jury her husband of five years had just stopped at a gas station for directions when three black teens walked toward their black Mercedes.

    "I am thinking, this does not feel very safe, but then all of sudden they kind of split off," Porter testifies on the witness stand.

    Seconds later, she said she heard the sounds of a struggle.

    "At that point, I look around and Mike is at the door trying to get the door open. Two boys are all on top of him, and one got him around the neck and the others got him on his arms," Mrs. Porter said.

    She told the jury her husband finally escaped back into the car. Then, a shot rang out.

    "He hit Mike in here and glass goes everywhere, all in my face, in my shoulder."

    Mrs. Porter said her husband's last words were, "They got me babe. I am shot."

    The other teens charged in Porter's murder could testify later this week. Darwin Wells, the triggerman, was convicted of murder by deliberate design last year. Alozno Kelly pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to murder. Telvin Benjamin is scheduled to go to trial in May.

    Testimony in Terry Hye's trial continues Wednesday morning.

    http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=12072739

  2. #2
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Terry Hye found guilty of Capital Murder

    "Justice served." Those are the first words District Attorney Tony Lawrence spoke after jurors returned with a guilty verdict in Terry Hye, Junior's capital murder trial. It took the jury only about 90 minutes to reach a decision. Hye is the second teenager to stand trial for the shooting death of Michael David Porter.
    "Mr. Hye, you have been found guilty of the offense of capital murder. It is my responsibility to sentence you," Judge Dale Harkey said.
    The 18-year-old stood silently as Judge Harkey repeated the jury's verdict. Hye was then handcuffed and led away.
    Passing family and friends, he whispered "come and see me." Some of his family left the courtroom in anger, others in tears. Terry Hye's defense team was also visibly upset.
    "I feel my client is innocent, one hundred percent," Arthur Carlisle said. "I don't know what went wrong, but something did."
    Carlisle said it was the prosecution's theory that was wrong in this case. Hye's attorneys said the state failed to prove Hye actually took part in the robbery, assault and shooting of Michael David Porter.
    The husband, father, and grandfather died outside a Moss Point gas station in October 2008. He was stopping to ask for directions to his grandson's football game.
    The defense tried to distance Hye from the three others charged in this case, and blame Moss Point Police for not collecting sufficient evidence and inaccurate reports of what happened the night Porter was killed.
    "I have to respect with the jury did, but I don't why they made the decision," Carlisle said.
    The victim's widow spent a painful week reliving her husband's death, testifying about the attack and the last words she heard from the man she loved. After the verdict was read, Linda Porter could only hug and lean on her family.
    "I am really pleased with this verdict. I thank Lauderdale County citizens for agreeing to serve and making sure justice was served in Jackson County," District Attorney Tony Lawrence said.
    Lawrence admitted it was a fight to bring justice to the Porter family. He said Michael Porter was a 14 year Untied States Marine who served our country, and in just a few minutes, he lost his life to a senseless crime involving Hye and three friends.
    "I think for someone to come into our community and have this kind of crime committed upon him, it is a horrible incident."
    Capital murder would normally carry the potential for the death penalty. But since Hye was 16 at the time of the crime, he will serve life in prison.
    Darwin Wells, the triggerman, was convicted last year of deliberate design murder. Alonzo Kelly pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact of murder. The fourth teen, Tevin Benjamin, is also charged with capital murder. He is scheduled to go to trial in May.


    http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=12093735

  3. #3
    Senior Member CnCP Legend JLR's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Posts
    2,740
    PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Terry Hye Jr., 18, of Moss Point was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life without parole Friday for his role in the 2008 shooting death of Michael Porter of Hattiesburg.

    The 12-member jury, selected in Lauderdale County because of media coverage of the case, deliberated slightly more than an hour.

    Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Dale Harkey sentenced Hye immediately after the verdict. Because of Hye's age -- he was 16 at the time of the crime -- life without parole was the only sentence possible. A capital murder charge in Mississippi usually carries the death penalty as a possible sentence.

    "Come see me Saturday," Hye said to family members in the courtroom as he was led away.

    Hye will be transferred to the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Rankin County within the next 30 days.

    District Attorney Tony Lawrence said justice was served with the verdict.

    "For someone to come into our community and have this kind of crime committed on him was horrible," Lawrence said.

    Hye's attorney, Arthur Carlisle, said he was disappointed and planned to appeal.

    "I truly believe in my client's innocence 100 percent," Carlisle said. "I don't know what went wrong."

    Hye is the second teenager to be convicted in the death of Porter outside the Conoco gas station on Grierson Street in Moss Point on Oct. 23, 2008.

    The 44-year-old Porter and his wife, Linda, stopped to ask directions to their grandson's high school football game between Gautier and Forrest County at War Memorial Stadium in Pascagoula, testimony revealed this week.

    Darwin Wells, 17, who was described as the triggerman, received a life sentence in October after a jury found him guilty of murder by deliberate design. Wells, of Moss Point, will be eligible for parole at age 65.

    A third Moss Point teen, 16-year-old Tevin Benjamin, is scheduled to go on trial May 3 on a capital murder charge.

    Prosecutors alleged that Hye and Benjamin jumped Porter as he was trying to get into his convertible Mercedes to drive away, and that Wells shot Porter through the car window.

    Hye's defense claimed that Wells and Benjamin were responsible for Porter's death and that Hye was walking home.

    A fourth Moss Point teen, 19-year-old Alonzo Kelly, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to capital murder and testified Tuesday for the state. He placed Hye at the robbery and shooting scene.

    Porter's widow also testified Tuesday. Some of Hye's supporters directed derogatory comments to her when she entered the courtroom and while she spoke on the witness stand.

    "I was not happy with the way certain individuals behaved when Mrs. Porter came back to our community to receive justice," Lawrence said. "I think that was despicable."

    Harkey issued a stern warning Friday before the verdict was read aloud for a standing-room-only courtroom.

    "There will be no expressions of approval or disapproval when the verdict is rendered and published in court," Harkey said. He warned that any violators would be "removed and arrested."
    http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi...ut_parole.html

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •