Man dies from multiple gunshots

An early Sunday morning shooting at the Elks Club in the Crossing area left a Humbold man dead from multiple gunshot wounds.  Police are asking citizens to come forward if they have any information about the shooting and the man who they want for questioning.  Officers of the Humboldt Police Department were called to the Elks Club at approximately 2:20 a.m. May 13, said Humboldt PD Assistant Chief Bill Baker.  Police responded to a shooting complaint outside the Elks Club located at 1126 North 5th Avenue and found the victim upon arrival.  The victim was identified as Prentice Turner, age 26, of Humboldt.

Turner was transported to Humboldt General Hospital where he was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds.  The victim and the suspect or suspects had been in the Elks Club earlier and may have been in a dispute prior to the shooting, according to some accounts.

The suspect being sought was described as a black male, 5'6" to 5'8" tall, medium build, medium complexion with dread locks.

He left the area with friends in a vehicle described as a blue or green Toyota Camry.  No arrests have been made at this time, but police are following leads and continue to investigate.

A reward is available for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for this crime.  Anyone with information should contact the Humboldt Police Department at 731-784-1322 or Gibson County Crimestoppers at 731-855-2005.

Murder trial begins
Jacksonsun.com - June 10, 2009

A Humboldt jury heard opening statements from attorneys and some testimony from the first witness in the first-degree murder trial of Chuncy Hollis on Tuesday.

Assistant District Attorney Hal Dorsey said the state will show that Hollis was one of at least two people who shot at Prentice Turner on May 13, 2007, outside the W.J.O. Lee Elks Lodge No. 1290.

Hollis, 31, and Desmond Deshawn Ragland, both of Jackson, have both been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Turner.  Ragland's trial is set to begin in November.

In an opening statement, Dorsey said the shooting stemmed from an earlier quarrel between Hollis and Ragland and a group of people from Humboldt.  They were all at a party at the lodge.

Dorsey said Hollis and Ragland were asked to leave the party after the dispute.

"Within a couple of minutes, they come back, walking up as Mr. Turner walked out of the club and said, 'What's up with it now?' and they started fighting," Dorsey said.

While Ragland and Turner were fighting, Hollis shot at Turner with a pistol, Dorsey said.

Dorsey said it didn't matter if some of the trial testimony is that problems between the groups existed before that night or that the shooting happened at the spur of the moment.

The evidence shows that there were two shooters, he said.

"If we prove Chuncy Hollis was shooting in conjunction with someone else, it makes no difference if he hit (Turner) or not," Dorsey said.  "Even if we prove he was only shooting, he's just as guilty."

In an opening statement for the defense, attorney Larry Copeland Jr. said it matters who actually shot Turner in determining Hollis' innocence.

"There's no such thing as 'It doesn't matter' and 'I don't know'," Copeland said.  "'It doesn't matter' and 'I don't know' means not guilty."

Prosecutors played a recording Tuesday of an interview Humboldt police conducted with Hollis after the slaying.  In the recording, Hollis said that he didn't know Turner and that he was still inside the club when Turner was shot.

Hollis said he had a quarrel with someone earlier on the night of the slaying but that he didn't have any problems after that.

But Humboldt Police Assistant Chief Bill Baker testified Tuesday that he talked with Hollis on the day after that interview and that Hollis told him that after the shooting started he went to the car to get a gun but never fired it.

"The gun he had (that night) was the same type that was recovered when he was arrested in Jackson," Baker said.

Baker testified that bullets, casings and cartridges found at the scene came from different guns but that tests couldn't identify any fingerprints.  He said there was no evidence that Turner had any weapon.

Baker's testimony continues at 8:30 a.m. today in Humboldt Circuit Court.

Witness testifies he saw defendant shoot victim
Jacksonsun.com - June 10, 2009

In the second day of a first-degree murder trial, three witnesses testified this morning that they saw Chuncy Hollis with a gun the night Prentice Turner was killed outside the W.J.O. Lee Elks Lodge No. 1290.

Turner's friend Cameo Pankey said he saw Hollis shoot Turner.

"I'd almost say point blank - he was standing over him," Pankey testified.

Also this morning, defense attorney Larry Copeland Jr. questioned Humboldt Assistant Police Chief Bill Baker for an hour about how the investigation was handled.

Baker said several crime scene photos don't show exactly where the evidence was recovered.

Baker said the physical description witnesses gave of the shooter the day after the shooting was vague.

"Not all witnesses would describe the suspect exactly the same," he said.  "I believe that would be because of the chaotic nature of the night."

The trial will continue with prosecution witnesses after lunch.  The defense may begin presenting its case later this afternoon.

Assistant District Attorney Hal Dorsey has said the state will show that Hollis was one of at least two people who shot at Turner on May 13, 2007, outside the Elks Lodge.

Hollis, 31, and Desmond Deshawn Ragland, both of Jackson, have both been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Turner.  Ragland's trial is set to begin in November.

In an opening statement, Dorsey said the shooting stemmed from an earlier quarrel between Hollis and Ragland and a group of people from Humboldt.  They were all at a party at the lodge.

Dorsey said Hollis and Ragland were asked to leave the party after the dispute but that they returned to the area outside the club and started fighting with Turner after he came outside.

Prosecutors played a recording Tuesday of an interview Humboldt police conducted with Hollis after the slaying.  In the recording, Hollis said that he didn't know Turner and that he was still inside the club when Turner was shot.

Witnesses: Hollis had gun night of fatal shooting
Jacksonsun.com - June 11, 2009

Witnesses testifying Wednesday in Chuncy Hollis' murder trial included four people who said they saw Hollis with a gun the night Prentice Turner was killed outside the W.J.O. Lee Elks Lodge No. 1290.

They highlighted the second day of testimony as prosecutors presented their last witnesses in the first-degree murder trial in Gibson County Circuit Court.  The trial will continue today at 8:30 a.m. with the presentation of defense witnesses.

Hollis, 31, and Desmond Deshawn Ragland, both of Jackson, are both charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Turner.  Ragland's trial is set to begin in November.

The witnesses included Turner's friend Cameo Pankey, who said he saw Hollis shoot Turner in the early morning hours of May 13, 2007.

Pankey said he saw Hollis and Ragland being escorted out of the club at one point before coming back in and having to leave a second time.  Pankey said a few minutes later, he followed Turner outside and saw a confrontation between Turner and Ragland.

He said Ragland swung at Turner and they began fighting one-on-one.

Pankey said he was near the front door but moved back inside when he saw someone who was not Hollis fire a shot.

He said he heard about six gunshots, and saw Hollis aim a gun at Turner and shoot one time.

"I was going out, and I saw (Turner) lying on the ground," Pankey testified.  "I'd almost say point blank - he was standing over him."

The defense called four witnesses to the stand Wednesday, including Chauncey Ross, who said he saw someone other than Hollis shoot Turner.

Under cross examination, Ross said he never told authorities that summer that he wouldn't tell on Hollis because they were both Gangster Disciples.

Ross said he wasn't in the gang and that he didn't know Hollis.

"That's what the police said Hollis was," Ross said.  "I don't know nothing about that."

Prosecution witnesses included John Epperson, who testified Wednesday that after the shooting, Hollis brandished a gun and waved it at him and two other people because a truck they were near was blocking Hollis and Ragland from leaving.

Epperson said just prior to that he saw Hollis take a gun from a car and head back to the front of the club.

On cross examination, defense attorney Larry Copeland Jr. asked Epperson why he testified Wednesday that he was with two men at the time of the incident when in a previous statement to police he said he was with a man and a woman.

Epperson said his mind was probably clearer then but that nighttime conditions didn't stop him from noticing Hollis.

"It was kind of dark, but you could tell it was a handgun," he said about what Hollis was holding at the time.  "I could see the butt of the gun when Hollis stuck it in his pants."

Testifying for the defense Wednesday was the lodge's house chairman, Elgin McKinley, who said he didn't recognize Hollis as being one of three people he escorted to the parking lot following the first fight.

The trial resumes this morning with the final defense witnesses expected to finish testifying by the afternoon.

Hollis' ex-girlfriend testifies at murder trial
Jacksonsun.com - June 10, 2009

Testimony in the first-degree murder trial of Chuncy Hollis continued this afternoon with statements from Hollis' ex-girlfriend Marquita Anderson.

Anderson testified that Hollis borrowed her blue Camry on the night of the slaying.  The car fits the description given by witnesses of a vehicle that Hollis was in at the W.J.O. Lee Elks Lodge No. 1290.

"They were out there," she said.  "When I found out about what happened he (Hollis) said he was there, but they were in a white Tahoe, a white truck."

Earlier today, three witnesses testified that they saw Hollis with a gun the night Prentice Turner was killed outside the lodge.

Turner's friend Cameo Pankey said he saw Hollis shoot Turner.

"I'd almost say point blank - he was standing over him," Pankey testified.

Also this morning, defense attorney Larry Copeland Jr. questioned Humboldt Assistant Police Chief Bill Baker for an hour about how the investigation was handled.

Baker said several crime scene photos don't show exactly where the evidence was recovered.

Baker said the physical description witnesses gave of the shooter the day after the shooting was vague.

"Not all witnesses would describe the suspect exactly the same," he said.  "I believe that would be because of the chaotic nature of the night."

Assistant District Attorney Hal Dorsey has said the state will show that Hollis was one of at least two people who shot at Turner on May 13, 2007, outside the Elks Lodge.

Hollis, 31, and Desmond Deshawn Ragland, both of Jackson, have been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Turner.  Ragland's trial is set to begin in November.

In an opening statement, Dorsey said the shooting stemmed from an earlier quarrel between Hollis and Ragland and a group of people from Humboldt.  They were all at a party at the lodge.

Dorsey said Hollis and Ragland were asked to leave the party after the dispute but that they returned to the area outside the club and started fighting with Turner after he came outside.

Prosecutors played a recording Tuesday of an interview Humboldt police conducted with Hollis after the slaying.  In the recording, Hollis said that he didn't know Turner and that he was still inside the club when Turner was shot.

Humboldt murder case goes to jury
Jacksonsun.com - June 11, 2009

Jury deliberations have begun this afternoon in the first-degree murder case against Chuncy Hollis in Humboldt Circuit Court.

Hollis and another man were indicted in the slaying of 26-year-old Prentice Turner.

Turner was shot multiple times about 2:20 a.m. May 13, 2007, outside the W.J.O. Lee Elks Lodge No. 1290.  He had been inside the club earlier that morning and might have had a dispute with someone who was there, police have said.

The other suspect is scheduled to be tried separately in November.

Hollis found guilty of first-degree murder
Jacksonsun.com - June 11, 2009

A jury returned a verdict of guilty on the charge of first-degree murder in Chuncy Hollis' trial this afternoon in Humboldt Circuit Court.

Hollis was sentenced to life and will serve at least 51 years in prison.

Hollis was charged along with Desmond Ragland in the slaying of 26-year-old Prentice Turner.

Turner was shot multiple times about 2:20 a.m. May 13, 2007, outside the W.J.O. Lee Elks Lodge No. 1290.

Ragland is scheduled to go to trial in November.

Jackson man sentenced to life
Jacksonsun.com - June 12, 2009

A Jackson man was convicted Thursday of first-degree murder for a 2007 slaying outside a Humboldt club.

Chuncy Hollis, 31, was sentenced to life Thursday in Gibson County Circuit Court and will serve at least 51 years in prison for his role in the shooting death of Prentice Turner, 26.  Hollis and Desmond Ragland were charged with first-degree murder in the May 13, 2007, shooting outside the W.J.O. Lee Elks Lodge No. 1290.

Ragland's trial is set for November.

During Hollis' trial, which began Tuesday, four witnesses said they saw Hollis with a gun that night, including three who said Hollis shot Turner while standing over him.  According to testimony, Ragland and Turner got into a fight outside the club just before Turner was killed.

The final day of testimony Thursday included the reading of a statement from a defense witness who said that Ragland told him that he shot someone outside a Humboldt club.

In closing arguments, defense attorney Larry Copeland Jr. questioned the accuracy of testimony given by people who knew Turner.  He said the fact that it took more than a year for some witnesses to talk left too many questions.

Memories of the incident are murky because it was a crowded party, Copeland said.

Prosecutors said multiple witnesses had no reason to implicate Hollis, whom they didn't know before that night, unless he was involved.

In his closing, Assistant District Attorney Larry Hardister said, "Hollis said he was inside when the shooting occurred, but later that day he tells Humboldt police he went to the car to get a gun out but didn't shoot him.  He was attempting to say it was a different person (than Ragland) that was fighting.  He knew exactly who Ragland was."

After the trial, Hardister said, "It was a difficulty for virtually every lay witness that was called for them to testify, and we appreciate their effort and courage they showed coming forward."

Copeland said a motion for a new trial would be heard at a September 28 hearing.

"I feel confident that there was an error that could constitute a reversal," Copeland said, declining to comment on the specifics of the appeal.  "I was very surprised by the verdict, but we respect what the jury did."

Following the trial, Turner's parents - William Pirtle and Gladys Turner - said for the last two years they'd been waiting to see someone held responsible for their son's death.

They said they understood why it took a while before some witnesses told authorities what they saw that night.

"We're happy, relieved, glad it's over with and justice was done," Turner said.

Hollis receives life sentence
Humboldt Chronicle - June 17, 2009

A Gibson County Circuit Court jury in Humboldt last Thursday convicted a Jackson man of first-degree murder for a 2007 shooting outside the W.J.O. Lee Elks Lodge, according to Clerk and Master Amy Brown.

Judge Clayburn Peeples sentenced Chuncy Lesolue Hollis, 31, formerly of 931 Hollywood Drive in Jackson, to a life sentence for the murder of Prentice Turner.  Hollis must serve at least 51 years before he is eligible for parole.

Hollis and his attorneys had not filed a motion for a new trial as of Monday morning.  If a motion is filed, the next available hearing date is September 28, Brown said.

Officers of the Humboldt Police Department were called to the Elks Club at approximately 2:20 a.m. May 13, 2007.  Police responded to the shooting complaint outside the Elks Lodge located at 1126 North 5th Avenue and found the victim, Prentice Turner, age 26, of Humboldt.  Turner was transported to Humboldt General Hospital where he was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds.

Both Hollis and Desmond Ragland were charged in September 2007 with first-degree murder for Turner's death outside the Crossing nightclub.  Ragland's case has yet to go to trial but is scheduled for November later this year.