STARKVILLE — An Oktibbeha County jury this afternoon found former Mississippi State University student Bobby Batiste guilty of capital murder in the death of his housemate last year at 21 Apartments.
The jury of eight men and four women deliberated for about an hour before returning with the verdict.
Sixteenth Circuit Judge Jim Kitchens called a recess until 9 a.m. Saturday to give jurors a break after what he called “a long week.”
The defense plans to call 11 witnesses to the stand during sentencing Saturday to speak on behalf of Batiste”s character. The jury then will decide if Batiste will be executed or spend life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Batiste is accused of killing 28-year-old Andreas Galanis by way of blunt-force trauma to the head. The pair got into a fight in their apartment after Galanis discovered more than $4,500 was missing from his checking account. He suspected Batiste, now 29, had used his debit card without his permission to rack up the expenses.
The situation came to a head March 7, 2008, when Batiste beat Galanis to death. Batiste told police Galanis attacked him first, but evidence shown at the capital murder trial this week refuted several details of Batiste”s story.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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