Friday Oct. 12,
2012
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Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 246
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 20 pages • Two sections
Closing arguments begin in murder trial murder. She is also scheduled to be tried in the future. Prosecutors have argued Burleson was a direct party to the crime and was directly involved in the robbery that led to Holley’s death. Mississippi law allows for a capital murder charge in a case where a death occurs during the commission of another felony. District Attorney Trent Kelly said in his opening statement Holley was assaulted during the robbery and left for dead by the Burleson and Huguley. Defense attorney John Helmert argued his client was an innocent bystander in the crime who was at the wrong place at
the wrong time when he went with Huguley to Holley’s home. He said in his opening statement Burleson was unaware of what Huguley was planning to do when they went to the home and took no direct part in the crime. Helmert said Huguley was seeking money to pay a bail bondsman in order to remain out of jail on bond on a previous felony charge and later in the afternoon on the day of the crime Huguley was able to go and make his payment to the bondsman. He further argued none of the items taken in the robbery of Holley’s home was found in Burleson’s possession.
Project PrIME helps math teachers
Young shooting victim dies
BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
Jurors are expected to begin deliberations today in the capital murder trial of a Prentiss County man accused in the murder and robbery of a Thrasher man in 2010. Closing arguments are scheduled to begin this morning in the trial of Charles David Burleson II. Burleson could face the death penalty if convicted in the case. He and his co-defendant, Jeremy Keith Huguley of Rienzi, were indicted on the charge of capital murder in the May 2010 robbery and assault that took the life of Stephen Keith Holley.
Huguley is scheduled to be tried separately at a later date. The defense rested its case Thursday without calling any witnesses following the presentation of the prosecution’s case on Wednesday. Prosecutors and defense attorneys spent Thursday afternoon hashing out exactly what instructions would be given to the jury prior to the closing arguments and the start of deliberations. Jurors were initially told to report back to court at 1:30 p.m. Thursday but were not called back into the courtroom until around 3:30 p.m. when they were told by Circuit Judge James Roberts
Jr. the attorneys still had matters to complete and court was recessed until 9 a.m. today. Holley was found unconscious and unresponsive in his Thrasher home on May 15, 2010. Authorities say he had been struck with some type of metal object and the home robbed. He died on May 21, 2010, at North Mississippi Medical Center of his injuries. Burleson and Huguley were arrested a short time later and charged in the case. A third defendant, Kayla Cartwright of Booneville, was also indicted in the case on a charge of accessory after the fact to capital
BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
It is never too early to prepare for college or the workforce. Students in Alcorn County are getting ready to meet the challenge and so are their teachers. Promoting Innovation in Mathematics Education (Project PrIME) brought 15 teachers around the state to Biggersville Elementary on Wednesday as part of its three follow-up meetings during the year to help instructors become better in math. Project PrIME -- conducted by the University of Mississippi’s Center for Mathematics and Science Education -- uses a $1.5 million grant from the Mississippi Department of Education to help teachers improve their content knowledge in mathematics. “Project PrIME teaches us how to be better math teachers and the kids to be problem solvers instead of problem performers,” said BES math instructor Amanda Seago. “It also helps students get ready to meet Common Core standards.” Seago, a 3rd-6th grade math instructor, is part of the four-year program this year. Teachers involved in the math project spent two weeks this summer training in Oxford. “It was very rigorous even for teachers … like a little math boot camp,” said the BES teacher. The two weeks were worth it, according to Seago. “The program teaches students the understanding of what they are doing and how they arrived at the answer,”
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
An 11-year-old boy who was apparently shot by his father before the father turned the gun on himself has died. The Alcorn County coroner’s office was notified that Andrew Loyd of Farmington was pronounced dead at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center in Memphis, Tenn. Funeral arrangements for his father, Billy Loyd Jr., 51, are pending under the direction of Corinthian Funeral Home. Please see SHOOTING | 2A
Officials give more details of fatal wreck BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Steve Beavers
Biggersville Elementary math teacher Amanda Seago works with Annah Claire Isbell during a Project PrIME follow-up meeting at the school. said the teacher. Organizers strive to help students better appreciate,
enjoy and gain confidence in their math skills while helping teachers rethink how math-
ematics is taught.
More information has been released by the Tennessee Highway Patrol following a Wednesday morning accident that killed a Selmer, Tenn., man. Tanner Anderson, 19, was pronounced dead at the scene after his 1999 Geo Tracker struck a semi-truck loaded with a logging skid-
Please see PRIME | 2A
Please see WRECK | 2A
Kentucky Headhunters headline Fall Festival BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
BOONEVILLE — The Kentucky Headhunters are ready to rock the City of Hospitality. “We’re coming down to shake Booneville up,” said founding rhythm guitarist and vocalist Richard Young this week as the band enjoyed a rare day off on tour in Georgia. The veteran country and Southern rockers are set to headline the Booneville Fall Festival, taking the stage Saturday night, Oct. 20, at the Prentiss County Agri-Center. Tickets are on sale now at the Booneville and Prentiss County Main Street Association Office. Founded in 1968 by Young and
his brother Fred along with their cousins Anthony Kenney and George Martin as a rock oriented outfit known as Itchy Brother, the band has weathered the changing tides of the music industry and continues to bring crowds to their feet across the country. The Kentucky Headhunters were born out of Itchy Brother in 1986 when Kenney was replaced in the band by Doug Phelps who brought along his older brother Ricky Lee Phelps. He in turn lent his unique lead vocal sound to the group. Mercury Records released the group’s debut album, “Pickin’ on Nashville” in 1989. The country rock album was an instant classic,
spawning four top 40 singles including “Dumas Walker,” “Walk Softly on This Heart of Mine”, a cover version of the classic, “Oh Lonesome Me” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Angel.” The band has seen several personnel changes and today includes the original core of the Young brothers, Doug Phelps and Greg Martin. Last year the Headhunters released “Dixie Lullabies,” which has become one of their most critically acclaimed albums to date. The album was recorded at their infamous “Practice House,” a turn of the century barn with Please see HEADHUNTERS | 3A
Index Stocks...... 7A Classified......6B Comics......5B Wisdom......4B
Submitted photo
Legendary country rockers the Kentucky Headhunters will headline the annual Booneville Fall Festival, performing at the Prentiss County Agricenter on Saturday, Oct. 20.
Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports......8A
On this day in history 150 years ago Gen. Van Dorn receives official notice of his command of all troops in Mississippi, but there is no celebration as he is notified he will be relieved of command of the department. He complains of the situation and says, “I attacked Corinth and took it, but could not hold it.”
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