Prosecutors and public defenders in Hinds County, Mississippi, continued routine court business days after District Attorney Jody Owens pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge and resigned, Mississippi Today reported. The Mississippi Bar Association asked the state Supreme Court on July 6, 2026, to immediately suspend Owens from practicing law, the association said.
In one courtroom, a 26-year-old man pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a 40-year sentence, Mississippi Today reported. In another, a man indicted for aiding and abetting the same defendant appeared for a status hearing without his attorney, prompting Circuit Judge Adrienne Wooten to send him home after an attorney failed to notify the court, the report said.
Much of the county’s prosecutions are handled by roughly 15 assistant district attorneys working in five courtrooms, Mississippi Today wrote, and their work carried on despite the vacancy at the top of the office. “If the person who leads Ford Motor Company resigns, they still make cars,” said Matt Steffey, a professor at Mississippi College School of Law, describing how government offices keep operating.
Former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Jim Kitchens said the district attorney’s job in Hinds County is largely managerial, with assistant prosecutors doing most trial work, Mississippi Today reported. Former assistant district attorney Joe Hemleben said prosecutors generally had latitude on plea negotiations, though Owens reviewed and required memos for murder plea offers, often starting at the 40-year maximum, the report said.
Defense attorneys described recurring discovery problems in court. Public defender Zach Adkins told Circuit Judge Wooten that key files were missing in the case of a defendant named Sydney Wright, and Deputy Chief Prosecutor Gwen Agho acknowledged uncertainty about what documents were missing, Mississippi Today reported. State law requires the governor to call an election to fill a vacated district attorney post, and Republican Gov. Tate Reeves is expected to make an emergency appointment until an election is held, the report said.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
