The Mississippi Supreme Court on Thursday declined in a 6-1 vote to disturb a December Court of Appeals decision ordering a new trial for Tameshia Shelton, a Clay County mother of four serving a life sentence on a 2015 murder conviction, the court said.
The Court of Appeals held that prosecutors failed to prove Shelton guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt” in the fatal shooting of her youngest sisters 21-year-old boyfriend, Danelle Young, when she stood trial in 2015, the appeals courts decision shows.
An investigation by Mississippi Today found evidence suggesting Youngs 2009 death indicated he killed himself, including an apparent suicide note that was not presented to jurors, the publication reported. The appeals court also found Sheltons trial lawyer, Rod Ray, was ineffective for failing to introduce the note, a ruling that the court said violated her constitutional right to a fair trial, according to court filings and the Mississippi Today report. Mississippi Today reported that a deputy state medical examiner later called the original homicide ruling an “error” and that some deputy testimony at trial conflicted with official records.
The case will return to Clay County Circuit Court before Circuit Judge James T. Kitchens, who denied Shelton a new trial after hearings in 2021 and 2022, court records show. District Attorney Scott Colom, who supported those hearings, would handle any prosecution if the case returns to his office; he could not be reached Thursday for comment but previously told Mississippi Today he would “look at what the facts show and do justice,” the publication reported.
“This nightmare is close to being finally over,” Shenikia Shelton, Tameshia Sheltons middle sister, said Thursday. Sandra Levick of the Mississippi Innocence Project, one of Sheltons current lawyers, said the legal team was “very pleased” with the Supreme Court decision. If Shelton is freed, she would be the seventh person prosecuted in Mississippis 16th Judicial District to be exonerated of murder, a tally that Mississippi Today reported were all prosecuted under Sheltons predecessor as district attorney, Forrest Allgood.
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
