, 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. No trial date has been set in that case. He later was charged with murdering that student, 34-year-old Meing-Chen Hsiao. "He insisted this is not something he would do," Palmer said. Haley told the seven-man, five-woman jury that he knew Chambers before that night, but the two were not friends. WebJessica Chambers, 19, was burned alive. But a defense attorney said Jessica Chambers told firefighters who found her near her burning car that a man named Eric set her on fire - not the person charged with her murder, Quinton Tellis. Early on in the docu-series, Laquntas touching interview about her shared childhood with Quinton shocked viewers when they saw she had an Eric tattoo on her hand, which was starkly visible in the show. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Authorities say that the teen was doused in lighter fluid and set on fire by an unknown assailant. Winfield said Chambers would be upset if she knew how racially dividedthe town became after her murder. Tellis has not been indicted by a Louisiana jury in connection with Hsiao's death. Another troubling point for the defense is the fact that Tellis deleted all the texts and calls between he and Chambers after her death. He continues to maintain his innocence. 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. 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. 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. Authorities 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 called 911. Contributing: Ron Maxey, The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal; Therese, Apel, The (Jackson, Miss.) All she could say was that she felt cold. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Logically, someone might have taken the keys from the crime scene to later discard them but who? That image of youthful innocence was shattered by the reality of Chambers violent end. 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. The horrific circumstances surrounding the former high school cheerleader's death garnered national attention. While he was not able to make contact with this person, he did note the license plate number, according to. Courtland has about 500 residents. Man Convicted of Stalking and Killing His Ex-Girlfriend's Boyfriend Who Went Missing in 2020, How Robert Blake's Daughter Grew Up Trying to Come to Terms with Her Mom's Murder, Everything to Know About the Murdaugh Family Murders, Including Alex's Conviction, A Timeline of Adnan Syed's Case, Conviction and Release from Prison and What's Next for 'Serial' Subject, WATCH: Alex Murdaugh Is Led Out of Courthouse in Jumpsuit and Handcuffs Following Sentencing, Cold Cases Heat Up: How Advances in DNA Technology Are Helping to Bring Justice for Victims, Instagram Model Accused of Stabbing Sleeping Dad Was Allegedly Enraged by Argument Over Laptop, Will Bryan Kohberger Face Death Penalty if Convicted of Idaho Murders? 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. When I had seen him, the first thought I had was I want to hurt him, Eric M. Smith recently said of his victim, Derrick Robie. And she had black all over her face. Neither convicted nor cleared, the suspect, Quinton Tellis, now sits in jail awaiting trial for an unrelated murder in neighboring Louisiana. Mom Convicted of Murdering Toddler Because He Was 'Obstacle' to Her Extramarital Affair, Man Wrongfully Convicted of New Orleans Rape Freed After 36 Years in Jail, Emmett Till Was Lynched, and His Family Was Denied Justice: All About the Murder that Shocked the Nation, Man Found Guilty of 1982 Ax Murder of His Wife After the Case Went Unsolved for Nearly 40 Years. The case still remains unsolved, although strong evidence points to only one suspect. Mystery Deepens in Case of Burned Mississippi Teen Jessica Chambers as Police Call for Witnesses Local police and agents from federal agencies are continuing to search for the attacker, who is believed to have set Chambers on fire. WebJessica Chambers suffered an agonizing death: Firefighters saw her walking toward them, wearing only her underwear & burned over 93 percent of her body. 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. Jessica Chambers horrific death rocked the nation. Theres no word yet if hell be tried a third time in Chambers murder. "She didn't say any other name.". "Horrific burns," Champion said. Tellis won't return to Monroe to face trial in the Hsiao case until the conclusion of the Chambers trial. WebThe woman was 19-year-old, Jessica Chambers. 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. Palmer also said eight first responders who treated Chambers asked her if she knew who did it. Eventually, the finger was pointed at Quentin Tellis, a gang member who investigators had been able to prove with phone records had been with Chambers the night of her murder. Karas notes that Hsaio's murder investigation in Louisiana originally led Mississippi detectives to Tellis. Friends Claim It Was Domestic Violence. WebJessica Chambers Autopsy Photos : r/CrimeScene Jessica Chambers Autopsy Photos imgur This thread is archived New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast There has got to be something they can do. Some commenters have pointed out that Jessica's murder stoked racial divides in the town. Her car keys were later found nearby, and they had Tellis' DNA on them, Champion said. They even explored the possibility that her boyfriend who was in prison at the time of the murder had ordered a hit on her. 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. I think she was making friends with the wrong people, with drug dealers, her ex-boyfriend Bryan Rudd told PEOPLE in December 2015, a year into the homicide investigation. 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 Surveillance video from the gas station shows that Chambers was at the gas station (via Acton News 5). Armchair detectives took to social media and sleuthed various "suspects" in the town. 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. If Jessica had indeed named her assailant as Tellis defense attorney, Darla Palmer, argued in court that Jessica had done then Tellis could not have been involved, since no one knew Tellis as Eric or Derek.. And she had black all over her face. Will Turner, another firefighter, said that. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? "She kept asking for water. 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. But nobody really knows what happened that fateful night. "Horrific pain.". She was inside her car when itwas doused with an accelerant and set ablaze, but somehow she managed to escape. Yet the apparent disconnect over the name loomed large after Tellis was charged with Jessicas murder and went to trial last October. 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. This photo, provided by Fox affiliate WHBQ, shows 19-year-old Jessica Chambers of Panola County, Miss. They even wrote to his mother asking for answers, "Bryan can't take this anymore," she told Buzzfeed. Chambers had burns on about 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. A lawyer on Tellis' defense team, Darla Palmer, is using Haley's initial statement as a foundation of her client's defense. Evaristo Salas Jr. says that lies have kept him in prison and what happened in his case was easily swept under the rug.. , an NBC affiliate in Memphis, Tennessee. BATESVILLE, Miss. 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.. The Bizarre Case Of The Jessica Chambers Murder. The teenager, who In his opening statement, Champion acknowledged that the first responders did hear her say the name "Eric" or "Derek." In Louisiana, Tellis also had been charged withone count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, a charge he pleaded guilty to in May 2016. 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.. BATESVILLE, Miss. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Tragically, she died the next day of her injuries. or redistributed. Legal analyst Beth Karas, who worked in the New York District Attorney's office, spoke to Crimefeed about the case. They know who killed her prove it., Asked why he thought prosecutors failed to win a conviction in two previous efforts, Champion tells PEOPLE: I never speculate on why they do what they do.. After two juries failed to reach a verdict, Jessica Chambers' accused killer now awaits trial on an unrelated murder charge in another state. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. More WebJessica Chambers killing: Photos from case Photos: A look back at the Jessica Chambers case 80 PHOTOS More Stories Kingston Frazier murder: Court upholds Previously, Tellis had been in the parish jail accused of using Hsiao's debit card three times after her death. Witnesses will include cellphone data experts, Champion said. Karas said that she understands why the jury was undecided. Police found her walking on the side of a rural road near her burning car around 8 p.m. on December 6, 2014. WebJessica Chambers AP Photo/Chambers-Prince Families Citing statements Tellis made to investigators, Champion said Tellis and Chambers had sex in her car the evening she Some commenters have pointed to Chambers' murder as an example of "Missing White Woman" or "Beautiful Dead Girl Syndrome" that is, the idea that attractive, white female victims in general tend to get more attention from the public, and from media. Jessica Chambers was just 19 when she was burned alive. In his opening statement, Champion acknowledged that the first responders did hear her say the name "Eric" or "Derek." Witnesses will include cellphone data experts, Champion said. When she was cheering, she knew she looked good, Berdain told PEOPLE for a 2016 cover story. The inside of her mouth was charred black. He said Tellis repeatedly lied to investigators about spending time with her in the hours before she was found. She was small, weighing "90 pounds on a good day," her mother once said. I was face to face with her, and you could barely understand her, said Haley, according to the New York Daily News. 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. Tellis was put on trial in 2017. A place for forensic students, medical examiners, morticians and other morbidly interested individuals to respectfully discuss content relevant to a crime scene. 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. Investigators interviewed just about anyone who could've been in contact with Jessica. Palmer told jurors that Tellis never confessed to the killing. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. After wrapping a blanket around her, Haley walked Chambers to the back of his fire truck. 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. Jessica was just a joy., Her friend Taylor Eggleston said that people loved to be around her because she did the "craziest things," according to "Unspeakable Crime: The Killing Jessica Chambers.". Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. He also said that he saw a suspicious person in the area. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Her mother Lisa said inOxygen'supcoming docu-seriesUnspeakable Crime: The Killing of Jessica Chambers,that when she thinks of her daughter she thinks of her blue eyes. Eric set me on fire, she reportedly said to first responders on the scene when asked what happened. Citing statements Tellis made to investigators, Champion said Tellis and Chambers had sex in her car later that evening. I did not personally hear her say 'Eric.' Jessica Chambers suffered an agonizing death: Firefighters saw her walking toward them, wearing only her underwear & burned over 93 percent of her body. Champion said she could have been saying "Tellis," but the damage done to her throat made it sound different. Im just going to wait and see what happens in Louisiana, he says. Champion said Tellis first told investigators he only saw Chambers on the morning of her death.