The cell phone data appears damning, but according to Karas, cell phone tower pings and other related evidence are not always conclusive especially in rural areas where there are only a few towers. She said Tellis was buying a pre-paid debit card miles away in Batesville at the time Chambers was burned. The 19-year-old cheerleader's shocking death He completed that sentence but remains jailed in Ouachita Parish with a $300,000 bond on the murder charge, the parish district attorneys office confirms to PEOPLE. "She didn't say any other name.". On the night of Dec. 6, 2014, roughly 8:15 p.m., Jessica Lane Chambers was about two miles from her family's home in Courtland (population just over 500) when her 2005 Kia Rio erupted in flames. About 20,000 telephone numbers were analyzed in the investigation. Her stepmother Debbie Chambers said that his untimely death was a catalyst for Chambers changing her social scene. Tellis won't return to Monroe to face trial in the Hsiao case until the conclusion of the Chambers trial. Her body was severely burned, said Haley in his testimony during the trial in 2017. The video shows Chambers pumping gas, then as she walks toward the convenience store, she waves to someone off-camera, then walks over to them. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. After wrapping a blanket around her, Haley walked Chambers to the back of his fire truck. If convicted of Jessicas murder, he faces life in prison without parole. Authorities said Chambers was soaked in fuel in her car on a rural road, set on fire and left to stumble through a roadside ditch before she was spotted by a passing motorist who called 911. How much gasoline would one need to set an entire car on fire? Police found her body 10 days later when a neighbor called about inactivity at her apartment. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Will There Finally Be Justice For Megan McDonald? Mystery Deepens in Case of Burned Mississippi Teen Jessica Chambers as Police Call for Witnesses Local police and agents from federal agencies are continuing to search for the attacker, who is believed to have set Chambers on fire. No trial date has been set in that case. Hsiao's body was found at her apartment on August 8, 2015. Chambers mother, Lisa Chambers, says she hopes he does. All rights reserved. I don't know if I had ever covered a case where a person was burned alive," Karas told CrimeFeed. "Horrific burns," Champion said. Tellis was put on trial in 2017. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Champion said she could have been saying "Tellis," but the damage done to her throat made it sound different. Web29-year-old Quinton Tellis has pleaded not guilty to murder in the death of 19-year-old Jessica Chambers, who was found next to her burning car along a back road in "She didn't say any other name.". WebJessica Chambers suffered an agonizing death: Firefighters saw her walking toward them, wearing only her underwear & burned over 93 percent of her body. r/CrimeScene is a friendly community for people who are interested in discussing and sharing crime scene photos and information related to them. WebJessica Chambers killing: Photos from case Photos: A look back at the Jessica Chambers case 80 PHOTOS More Stories Kingston Frazier murder: Court upholds The blaze that engulfed her was so hot, it turned her black Kia Rio white, incinerated her clothes and blinded her. Neither convicted nor cleared, the suspect, Quinton Tellis, now sits in jail awaiting trial for an unrelated murder in neighboring Louisiana. "The prosecution has given notice of a speech pathologist," she said, who could potentially testify to the effects of severe burns on speech. The two-hour special streams on discovery+ and premieres on ID Tuesday, September 7 at 9/8c. Authorities have said previously that Chambers was on fire when she was found. Despite a suspect going to trial twice there hasn't been a conviction in the case and it remains officially unsolved. The field trip will give the Pike County jurors a chance to see first hand the sites that Prosecutor John Champion said will be tied together via cellphone records. Citing statements Tellis made to investigators, Champion said Tellis and Chambers had sex in her car later that evening. Jessica Chambers grew up in Courtland, Mississippi, a town with a population of 526, per World Population Review. But a defense attorney said Jessica Chambers told firefighters who found her near her burning car that a man named Eric set her on fire - not the person charged with her murder, Quinton Tellis. Legal Expert Weighs In, Quinton Simon's Mother Allegedly Beat Toddler to Death with 'Object' After Using Drugs: Prosecutors, N.J. or redistributed. The horrific circumstances surrounding the former high school cheerleader's death garnered national attention. The alleged Eric/Derrick piece of information became a major point of contention when a suspect whose name wasn't Eric or Derrick was put on trial. , still has some crucial bits of evidence that may prove useful in the upcoming retrial: I was face to face with her, and you could barely understand her, said Haley, according to the, Her face was fried out like she had stuck it in a light socket. Who did this to you? asked Daniel Cole, Director of Emergency Operations in the county. She was small, weighing "90 pounds on a good day," her mother once said. And where did the gasoline come from? That trial is on hold until his alleged role in Jessicas murder is resolved. One responder said it could have been Derrick, but most heard Eric. Courtland has about 500 residents. Lisa Chambers was outspokenover the years after the murder of her daughter Jessica Chambers, who was found burned alive in Courtland, Mississippi, in December 2014. Champion said Tellis first told investigators he only saw Chambers on the morning of her death. So its very important that either Louisiana get him convicted or we get him convicted., He tells PEOPLE: I just left it with them that we would meet after the Louisiana trial., The Twists & Turns After 19-Year-Old Was Burned to Death: What to Know About Murder of Jessica Chambers, Second Mistrial Declared in Ex-Cheerleaders Murder as Suspect Now Faces Trial in Another Death, Cold Cases Heat Up: How Advances in DNA Technology Are Helping to Bring Justice for Victims, Suspect in Death of Pregnant Mom Found Next to Car with Son Inside Was Recently Acquitted of Unrelated Murder, Man Charged in Rape of Slain LSU Student Madison Brooks Faces New Rape Charge in Separate Case, Will Bryan Kohberger Face Death Penalty if Convicted of Idaho Murders? Girl Is Mauled to Death by Pit Bull While Playing Outside, Accused Delphi Killer 'Is Not the Only Actor Involved in This,' Says Prosecutor, Kristin Smart Case: Paul Flores Found Guilty in 1996 Death and Disappearance of the Cal Poly Freshman, NYPD Officer Found Guilty of Killing Son, 8, with Autism After Making Him Sleep in Freezing Garage, Alex Murdaugh Tries to Blame Cousin for Murders of Wife, Son, Citing Polygraph Test, N.J. WebJessica Chambers, 19, was burned alive. Edward Cann could face up to life in prison if convicted of the numerous charges against him. Someone meant to cause her great pain.. In the Chambers case, Tellis emerged as a suspect after investigators learned that he and Chambers were recent acquaintances in small-town Courtland, Mississippi, population 500. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. WebThe woman was 19-year-old, Jessica Chambers. Tellis previously told investigators that he had been with Jessica Chambers for part of the night she died, authorities said. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. More On Thursday morning, jurors will visit the site of the fire, M&M Grocery where security camera footage last recorded Chambers that evening and Tellis' home nearby, said Major Barry Thompson,lead investigator for the Panola County Sheriff's Department. On December 6, 2014, a 19-year-old cheerleader named Jessica Chambers was set on fire in the small town of Courtland, Mississippi. Palmer told jurors that Tellis never confessed to the killing. Discovery, Inc. (Screenshot from ID's "Jessica Chambers: An ID Murder Mystery"), Warner Bros. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Jessica Chambers suffered an agonizing death: Firefighters saw her walking toward them, wearing only her underwear & burned over 93 percent of her body. While he was not able to make contact with this person, he did note the license plate number, according to WMC-TV, an NBC affiliate in Memphis, Tennessee. Armchair detectives took to social media and sleuthed various "suspects" in the town. Champion said cellphone records show that Chambers and Tellis - who had met about two weeks before her death and had become friends - were together twice on the day she was burned. Tellis' trial began in Batesville, Mississippi, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Memphis, Tennessee. Daniel Cole, director of Panola County (MS) Emergency Operations, read part of his report out, that said he saw a suspicious person an older black male noting the tag number.. She suffered burns on all of her body. After Second Mistrial, Whats Next For Quinton Tellis & The Jessica Chambers Murder Case. Everyones in the same boat.. The University of Louisiana-Monroe exchange student had been stabbed 34 times until she gave out the personal identification number for her debit card, according to a warrant filed in July 2016. AP (Quinton Tellis, left, is accused of burning 19-year-old Jessica Chambers alive in her car.). The Associated Press contributed to this report. Tellis, who graduated from the same high school as Chambers,was in Batesville buying a pre-paid debit card for his girlfriend in Louisiana at the time Chambers was attacked, Palmer said. But Karas said that for her, the murder is most memorable due to the horrific nature of the crime. After a mistrial last year, suspect Quinton Tellis will go to trial again this month in the Mississippi murder of 19-year-old Jessica Chambers. Smoking weed was first priority to them, her stepmom recalled. Scan this QR code to download the app now. "Even after seeing all of the evidence, people remain unconvinced.". BATESVILLE, Miss. WebJessica Chambers AP Photo/Chambers-Prince Families Citing statements Tellis made to investigators, Champion said Tellis and Chambers had sex in her car the evening she Her body was severely burned,. The Panola County Sheriffs Lt. Edward Dickson confirmed in his testimony that he found a phone belonging to Chambers, and some burned clothing. "It was a terrible crime. One of Hsiaos neighbors gave police a license plate number of a man who gave her a creepy feeling, and later identified that man as Tellis, the documents state. Her aunt, Deborah Sanders, said during the first episode of The Killing of Jessica Chambers" that she became a rebellious teenager. Buzzfeed got the story, and it seemed like the entire internet was trying to answer the question: Who set Jessica Chambers on fire? The prosecution countered that Chambers' condition would've made talking difficult, if not impossible. They even explored the possibility that her boyfriend who was in prison at the time of the murder had ordered a hit on her. OXFORD, Miss A funeralwas held Tuesday for the mother of Jessica Chambers, Lisa Lynne Chambers, who died over the weekend. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. He later was charged with murdering that student, 34-year-old Meing-Chen Hsiao. Tellis then drove Chambers' car with her inside it to the back road, ran to his sister's house nearby, jumped in his sisters' car, stopped to pick up gasoline from a shed at his house and torched Chambers' car and her, Champion said. The blaze that engulfed her was so hot, it turned her black Kia Rio white, incinerated her clothes and blinded her. She died the next day. 2023 Warner Bros. Chambers and Tellis rode around in her car for a while that morning before Chambers dropped off Tellis at his house and she went home to take a nap, the prosecutor said. By all accounts, Chambers suffered an agonizing death: Firefighters responding to a report of a torched car saw her walking toward them, wearing only her underwear and critically burned over 93 percent of her body. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Security is tight - the jury is being sequestered and spectators are being screened through metal detectors before entering the courtroom. However, that didn't matter online, where some amateur investigators remained convinced that he still had something to do with the crime. They also considered that maybe Chambers and gotten herself in trouble with a local gang. Example video title will go here for this video. This piece of information obviously helped Quentin Tellis' case, since defense attorneys pointed out that she knew Quentin's name. Investigators found burned items at the crime scene, including parts of a cell phone. All rights reserved. Jessica was just a joy., Her friend Taylor Eggleston said that people loved to be around her because she did the "craziest things," according to "Unspeakable Crime: The Killing Jessica Chambers.". She could be stubborn.. An initial autopsy report revealed the teen died from severe burns that covered 98 percent of her body, NBC affiliate WFLA reported. He also said they found a lighter that was so rusty it could not be sent to the crime lab, and a cigarette butt that they thought belonged to a firefighter. In his opening statement, Champion acknowledged that the first responders did hear her say the name "Eric" or "Derek." Eventually, the finger was pointed at Quentin Tellis, a gang member who investigators had been able to prove with phone records had been with Chambers the night of her murder. Eric set me on fire, she reportedly said to first responders on the scene when asked what happened. Winfield said Chambers would be upset if she knew how racially dividedthe town became after her murder. She died a short time later at the hospital. Champion said he believes Tellis suffocated Chambers and thought he had killed her. Tellis has pleaded not guilty to Hsiaos murder, just as he and his defense attorney maintained his innocence through the two Chambers trials. Legal Statement. "Horrific pain.". The horrific circumstances surrounding the former high school cheerleader's death garnered national attention. Still, Jessica was well-regarded and by all accounts well-liked by pretty much everyone she knew, which is what made the shocking way she was murdered all the more mysterious. Authorities say that the teen was doused in lighter fluid and set on fire by an unknown assailant. There has got to be something they can do. Market data provided by Factset. He continues to maintain his innocence. Tellis, 31, already has pleaded guilty and was sentenced for unauthorized use of a Chase Bank debit credit card belonging to Hsiao, reports The News Star. That was ruled out. She had a somewhat rocky childhood, her father spent some time in prison, but by 2014 he was out and working as a mechanic for the local sheriff's department. Over time the attention from the media started to trail off, the story had captured the attention of internet sleuths around the world. According to Investigation Discovery, in 2019, Tellis was charged with a completely unrelated 2015 murder of University of Louisiana-Monroe graduate student Meing-Chen Hsaio. We dont have a lot of haves and have-nots here, Rupert Howell, then the managing editor of rural Panola Countys family-owned newspaper, The Panolian, told PEOPLE in 2016. That trial is set to begin Sept. 24 in a courtroom in Batesville, where the first trial unfolded and with Circuit Judge Gerald Chatham once again presiding. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Police found her walkingon the side of a rural roadnear her burning cararound 8 p.m. on December 6, 2014. Her father, Ben The judge in the case declared a mistrial, opening the door for prosecutors to try Tellis a second time on the murder charge. Defense attorney Darla Palmer said Tellis is wrongly accused. That image of youthful innocence was shattered by the reality of Chambers violent end. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The defense argued that since Jessica Chambers said the crime had been committed by an Eric or Derrick, it couldn't have been committed by Tellis. Tellis later acknowledged they were together in the evening, saying he met her to sell her marijuana and had sex with her in her car, Champion said. WebProsecutor John Champion told jurors that they will see graphic photos of a burned Chambers and they will hear from about 35 witnesses. Police believe that the 34-year-old had been tortured and stabbed more than 30 times, according to KNOE-TV, in order to force her to reveal the PIN code to her debit card. He also said that Tellis had repeatedly asked Chambers for sex, and she had told him no. Defense attorney Darla Palmer said Tellis is wrongly accused. I was face to face with her, and you could barely understand her, said Haley, according to the New York Daily News. Her car keys were later found nearby, and they had Tellis' DNA on them, Champion said. A former cheerleader, Chambers had ambitions of becoming a nurse. Tragically, she died the next day of her injuries. Jessica Chambers horrific death rocked the nation.
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