Latrice A Westbrooks

Jeremy Walker a/k/a Jeremy Jerome Walker v. State of Mississippi

Court of Appeals of Mississippi · 2025-06-10

Jeremy Walker was convicted of manslaughter in the Alcorn County Circuit Court after a fatal fight with Michael Decker at a 2015 birthday cookout, during which witnesses saw the two men exchange words and physically struggle multiple times before Decker was stabbed and later died. On appeal, Walker claimed plain error from a police investigator’s opinion testimony that allegedly contradicted his defense and that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to give an opening statement, object to certain testimony, and timely respond to discovery. The Mississippi Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction, finding no reversible error on the investigator’s testimony or most ineffectiveness claims because Walker did not show deficient performance that undermined the trial outcome. The court held the record insufficient to review the discovery-related ineffectiveness claim on direct appeal and denied relief on that issue without prejudice to post-conviction proceedings.

criminal lawprocedure

Union Hill Missionary Baptist Church, Inc. v. Willie B. Champion, Eddie Champion, Awia Rice, Diane Gooden, Daisy Williams, Gloria Smith, Marranda King and Shannon Williams

Court of Appeals of Mississippi · 2025-06-03

The case involved a dispute within Union Hill Missionary Baptist Church over the selection of deacons and trustees, in which the church sought injunctive relief from the Madison County Chancery Court after an initial congregational vote. The chancellor denied a motion to stay proceedings, personally oversaw and certified a second vote on the officers, and issued orders ratifying the results. After the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled in a related prior case (Union Hill I) that courts lack jurisdiction over such ecclesiastical matters under the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, the chancery court dismissed the complaint with prejudice and vacated its prior orders. The Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal, holding that the issues were substantially similar to those in Union Hill I and that the chancellor had no authority to order or oversee the church vote on leadership positions.

religious liberty

Gilberto Alarcon Mortera v. Kona Villa Owners Association, Inc.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi · 2025-05-20

Gilberto Alarcon Mortera, a condominium unit owner at Kona Villa, sued the homeowners association after it declined to pursue a property damage insurance claim with State Farm for approximately $59,000 in interior damage to his unit from a water leak originating in the unit above. The circuit court granted summary judgment to the Association, finding that the condominium by-laws placed responsibility for interior repairs on individual unit owners. The Mississippi Court of Appeals reversed and remanded, holding that summary judgment was improper because genuine issues of material fact remained. The court reasoned that the insurance policy expressly covers certain interior items such as fixtures, improvements, and appliances within units, that the by-laws contain potentially ambiguous provisions on maintenance responsibilities and the Association’s role, and that these questions bear directly on whether the Association had a fiduciary duty to pursue the claim on Mortera’s behalf.

propertyprocedure

Samuel Taylor Shipley v. Krystalynn Lopez Shipley

Court of Appeals of Mississippi · 2025-05-13

This case involved a post-divorce custody dispute in which Krystalynn Shipley petitioned the Lauderdale County Chancery Court to modify the parties’ 2021 joint physical and legal custody agreement for their three sons, citing an inability to co-parent effectively, and also sought contempt findings against Samuel Shipley. After hearings spanning 2022 and 2023, the chancellor found a material change in circumstances and awarded Krystalynn sole physical and legal custody. Samuel appealed. The Mississippi Court of Appeals affirmed, holding that the chancellor’s best-interest analysis was supported by the record, including evidence of ongoing parental conflict and the children’s welfare needs.

family law

Regie Dale Goodson a/k/a Regie Goodson a/k/a Reggie D. Goodson a/k/a Riggie Goodson v. State of Mississippi

Court of Appeals of Mississippi · 2025-04-15

Regie Dale Goodson was convicted by a Smith County jury of possessing methamphetamine and sentenced as a habitual offender to six years in prison; he appealed, claiming the trial court wrongly denied his motion to suppress the drug evidence, abused its discretion by granting the State’s motion in limine, and erred by denying his post-trial motion for JNOV or a new trial. The Mississippi Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence. The court held that the methamphetamine was lawfully seized under the plain-view doctrine after an officer saw part of a clear bag containing a crystal-like substance protruding from Goodson’s watch pocket during a lawful encounter on a public road, that the trial court properly limited certain evidence of alleged chain-of-custody inconsistencies, and that the remaining evidence—including Goodson’s admission that the substance was methamphetamine—was sufficient for a rational jury to convict and not against the overwhelming weight of the evidence.

criminal lawprocedure

Timothy Dewayne Taylor a/k/a Timothy D. Taylor a/k/a Timothy Taylor v. State of Mississippi

Court of Appeals of Mississippi · 2025-02-18

The case involved Timothy Dewayne Taylor’s appeal from his conviction in Jefferson Davis County Circuit Court for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, for which he received a 20-year sentence. Taylor argued that his constitutional right to a speedy trial had been violated by a delay of 2,883 days—nearly eight years—between his March 2015 arrest and his February 2023 trial, citing periods attributable to mental evaluations, plea negotiations, and other proceedings. The Mississippi Court of Appeals reviewed the full record under the totality-of-the-circumstances test and concluded that the delay did not require reversal. It therefore affirmed the conviction and sentence. A separate opinion by one judge concurred in the result but urged stricter enforcement of statutory speedy-trial timelines.

criminal lawprocedure

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Latrice A Westbrooks

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Decision record