WEST POINT — A circuit court judge has upheld a life sentence in a 2003 murder case from Clay County.
Joey Chandler, 29, was convicted of murder in 2005 for the shooting death of his cousin, Emmitt Chandler.
According to circuit court records, the incident happened Aug. 17, 2003, outside Club Hollywood in Clay County.
The previous night, Chandler had as much as one pound of marijuana in his car to sell because his girlfriend was pregnant and he needed money to pay for expenses, according to court documentation.
Chandler saw Emmitt leaving his car with the marijuana and confronted him the next day. Chandler reportedly shot Emmitt twice with a .357 magnum, and records say that testimony presented during trial indicated that both wounds would have been fatal.
Chandler was 17 at the time of the murder. A 2012 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in Miller v. Alabama found that mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole are unconstitutional for juveniles.
“They said that the judge should have some discretion,” said assistant District Attorney Katie Moulds. “They didn’t say that (life sentences) aren’t O.K., but that the judge should weigh some factors and look at options other than life for someone who was so young.”
Chandler’s conviction occurred before Miller v. Alabama. The Mississippi Supreme Court allowed him to petition his sentencing.
However, Mississippi 16th Circuit Judge James Kitchens, after hearing Chandler’s request earlier in the year, issued an order Friday that reconfirmed his life sentence.
“There is nothing in the record before this Court to reflect that the Petitioner suffered from a lack of maturity when he killed Emmitt Chandler,” Kitchens wrote. “He was selling marijuana at a night club in Clay County the night before he murdered Emmitt Chandler. He was mature enough to father a child with his girlfriend and he was selling drugs to help pay the expenses associated with said child.”
Kitchens went on to note that Chandler did not come from a broken home or suffer any sort of mental impairments. He said the evidence presented at trial pointed to planning on Chandler’s part.
“He was very mature and the evidence shows that he planned this crime and that he shot his cousin twice with a revolver and that both shots would have been fatal,” Kitchens later wrote. “…The murderer and the victim were not random strangers. Some indicated that they were like brothers.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.