A Starkville man implicated in a murder has pleaded guilty to unrelated drug charges.
Circuit Judge Lee Coleman sentenced Henry Neal, Jr., 27, to eight years in prison Friday, a day after Neal pleaded guilty to a charge of sale of cocaine less than two ounces. He will remain in Mississippi Department of Corrections custody while awaiting trial for conspiracy to commit murder.
Neal, who was out on $10,000 bond after being indicted on the drug charge in January, was arrested on Feb. 9 in connection to the shooting death of Joseph Turnipseed, Jr., 33. Starkville police found Turnipseed’s body in a vehicle outside the West Main Arms Apartments near downtown while responding to a “shots fired” call around 10 p.m. on Feb. 8.
According to SPD, multiple witnesses said Neal had offered them $5,000 to kill Turnipseed.
Neal was placed on a $2 million bond on Feb. 11 and has since remained in Oktibbeha County Jail.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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