A Lafayette County man will serve 21 years in prison for shooting and killing a father of five in March 2017.

Chris Paten, also known as Chris Caine, was indicted on capital murder in June 2017 for killing Kenya Jawaan “KJ Hill. According to court records, Paten shot Hill four times in the upper chest and head area after an argument broke out between him and Paten at a residence in the Brittany Woods apartment complex.

Hill, 31, was flown to the Regional One Medical Center in Memphis where he died a week after the shooting from his injuries.

Paten eluded arrest for more than two months until he was found in May 2017 by the U.S. Marshals Service Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force in Jackson.

Paten pleaded guilty April 27 at the Lafayette County Circuit Court in front of Judge Andrew Howorth. In exchange for his plea, the state reduced the charge to second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison; however, 14 years of the sentence was suspended. Paten will serve 21 years and then five years on probation. If he violates his probation after his release, he could serve the remaining 14 years.

Paten was out on bail when the shooting occurred for an arrest in December 2015 on charges of armed robbery and felon in possession of a firearm. According to court records, in that case, Paten pulled a gun on a man during a dice game. Those charges have been retired but not dismissed.

Domestic abuse leads to prison

A Harmontown man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for kidnapping and beating a woman; however, he may only have to serve five years behind bars.

Timothy Shayne Blaylock, 33, was arrested in December 2017 for luring a woman whom he had a previous relationship with into his vehicle where he then hit and choked her.

Blaylock pleaded guilty during the April court term in front of Circuit Court Judge John Kelly Luther who sentenced Blaylock to 10 years in prison; however, five of those years are suspended. He cannot have any contact with the victim.

Other cases handled during the April court term:

• Tyler Wayne Advani, 23, Ecru. Charge: possession of a controlled substance. Disposition: reduced to misdemeanor
• Gus Allen, 52, Canton. Charge: grand theft. Disposition: 15 years prison with five years suspended and 10 years to serve
• Allan Avery, 23, Grenada. Charge: credit card fraud. Disposition: three years probation
• Derrick Bledsoe, 28, Grenada. Charge: aggravated domestic violence. Disposition: 10 years prison with 10 years suspended and three year probation
• Brandon Byrd, 20, Southaven. Charge: grand theft. Disposition: pretrial intervention
• Anthony Carpenter, 22, Abbeville. Charge: grand theft. Disposition: four years probation
• Jeffery Clements, 29, Water Valley. Charge: sale of a controlled substance, felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm. Disposition: 10 years in prison
• Marquis Jemar Collier, 27, Oxford. Charge: possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Disposition: dismissed
• Malcolm Crump, 27, Belden. Charges: burglary of a dwelling and felony malicious mischief. Disposition: five years in prison with one year suspended and four years to serve
• Roderick Daniels, 29, Abbeville. Charge: possession of a stolen firearm. Disposition: pretrial intervention
• Billy Dickey, 48, Marks. Charge: possession of a controlled substance. Disposition: reduced to misdemeanor
• Turvell Ellis, 26, Oxford. Charge: possession of marijuana. Disposition: dismissed
• Michael Evans, 36, Batesville. Charges: grand theft and felon in possession of a gun. Disposition: five years in prison with three years suspended and two years to serve
• John L. Favazza, 22, St. Louis, Mo. Charge: sale of a controlled substance. Disposition: dismissed
• William Frank Ferguson, 19, Oxford. Charge: possession of a controlled substance. Disposition: pretrial intervention
• Christopher Flynn Jr., 25, Dallas, Texas. Charge: possession of marijuana. Disposition: dismissed
• Daniel Ford, 22, Georgia. Charge: robbery. Disposition: dismissed
• Grant Fournier, 19, Michigan. Charges: three counts of possession of a controlled substance. Disposition: dismissed
• Casey Ann Franks, 38, Como. Charge: possession of a controlled substance. Disposition: four years probation
• Deborah K. Gillespie, 44, Oxford. Charge: burglary. Disposition: Drug Court
• Charda Cherrelle Golliday, 26, Pontotoc. Charge: fraudulent use of an ID. Disposition: reduced to misdemeanor
• Richard Grisham, 25, Southaven. Charge: burglary. Disposition: dismissed
• Justin Harris, 30, Oxford. Charge: felony bad check. Disposition: reduced to misdemeanor
• Martin Comstock Hermetz, 23, Oxford. Charge: sale of cocaine. Disposition: Drug Court
• Walter Hernandez, 24, Pontotoc. Charge: sexual battery. Disposition: reduced to time served
• Christopher Hester, 26, Saltillo. Charges: sexual battery (retired to files) and simple assault. Disposition: reduced to misdemeanor
• Angelica Hicks, 23, Abbeville. Charge: shooting into a dwelling. Disposition: four years probation
• Anthony Hilliard, 35, Oxford. Charge: commercial burglary. Disposition: four years probation
• Kevin Hilliard, 40, Oxford. Charge: possession of cocaine. Disposition: three years probation
• Tina Hillman, age unavailable, Holka. Charge: false pretense (bad check). Disposition: Intense Supervised Probation
• Robert Hollinger, 52, Water Valley. Charge: felon in possession of a firearm. Disposition: Intense Supervised Probation
• Dustin Cody Hunter, 30, Water Valley. Charges: grand theft and receiving stolen property. Disposition: Drug Court
• Mariah Hutcherson, 22, Mantachie. Charge: felony shoplifting. Disposition: four years probation
• Byron Ingram, 24, Pittsboro. Charge: possession of a controlled substance. Disposition: dismissed
• Carolyn Jane Ivy, 49, Oxford. Charge: uttering forgery. Disposition: reduced to misdemeanor
• Willie J. Jackson, 46, Batesville. Charge: possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Disposition: four years probation
• Clark Jacobs, 26, Arkansas. Charge: felony malicious mischief. Disposition: retired to files
• Shona Johnson, 39, Oxford. Charge: child abuse. Disposition: five years probation
• Anthony Terrelle Jones, 38, Grenada. Charge: possession of a controlled substance. Disposition: pleaded guilty April 3 and waiting for sentencing
• Kendric O’Bryan Jones, 35, Oxford. Charge: possession of marijuana with intent to sell. Disposition: dismissed
• Matthew Jones, 21, Texas. Charge: sale of a controlled. Disposition: five years probation
• Alan Keller, 42, Oxford. Charge: aggravated domestic violence. Disposition: reduced to misdemeanor
• Bethany King, 26, Abbeville. Charge: possession of a controlled substance. Disposition: Drug Court
• Brandon Klein, 20, Oxford. Charge: sale of a controlled substance. Disposition: dismissed
• Imani Lombard, 23, Gulfport. Charges: possession of a controlled substance and conspiracy. Disposition: five years probation
• Lavard Louis, 40, Olive Branch. Charge: possession of a controlled substance. Disposition: five years probation
• Cullen B. Magner, 18, Maryland. Charges: possession of a controlled substance. Disposition: three years probation
• Beau Martin, 32, Prarie. Charge: felony DUI. Disposition: reduced to misdemeanor
• Derrick Martin, 26, Robinsonville. Charge: aggravated assault. Disposition: reduced to a misdemeanor
• Zachery McCracken, 21, Water Valley. Charge: possession of controlled substance. Disposition: reduced to misdemeanor
• Alexander McDougal, 18, Oxford. Charge: burglary. Disposition: dismissed
• David Scott McLarty, 46, Oxford. Charge: possession of morphine with intent to sell. Disposition: 10 years in prison with five years suspended and five years to serve
• Aaron McNeal, 23, address unknown. Charge: possession of marijuana with intent to sell. Disposition: Intense Supervised Probation
• Jasmine Miller, 20, Oxford. Charge: accessory after the fact. Disposition: dismissed
• Carson Mohler, 19, Indiana. Charge: possession of a controlled substance. Disposition: pretrial intervention
• Richard Morris, 42, Oxford. Charge: possession of a weapon on school property. Disposition: three years probation
• Charles Thomas Nalley, 26, Oxford. Charges: burglary and possession of a controlled substance. Disposition: 15 years in prison with eight suspended and seven to serve
• Steven Douglas Pettit, 39, Batesville. Charge: embezzlement. Disposition: five years probation
• Alex Piazza, 21, Illinois. Charge: possession of a controlled substance. Disposition: dismissed
• Bobby Pope, 20, Water Valley. Charge: sale of a controlled substance and felon in possession of a firearm. Disposition: 10 years in prison with five years suspended and five years to serve
• David Quick, 30, Oxford. Charge: aggravated domestic assault. Disposition: reduced to time served and five years probation
• Santee Redmond, 29, Oxford. Charge: possession of a controlled substance. Disposition: reduced to misdemeanor
• Brodrick Rogers, 22, Oxford. Charge: vehicle burglary. Disposition: three years probation
• Christopher Roper, 34, Batesville. Charges: vehicle theft and fleeing a law enforcement officer. Disposition: 20 years in prison with 10 years suspended and 10 years to serve
• Joseph Schuler, 19, Tennessee. Charge: felony malicious mischief. Disposition: pretrial intervention
• Jon Logan Simmons, 24, Georgia. Charges: possession of a controlled substance and sale of a controlled substance. Disposition: two years probation
• Darryl Stevens, 56, Oxford. Charge: aggravated assault. Disposition: reduced to misdemeanor
• Meridith Strain, 22, Oxford. Charge: sale of a controlled substance. Disposition: Drug Court
• Shaquielle Tables, 23, address unavailable. Charge: grand theft. Disposition: dismissed
• Ozzie Telford, 28, Iowa. Charges: uttering forgery, grand theft and conspiracy. Disposition: one year in prison
• Kenneth Thompson, 47, Oxford. Charge: receiving stolen property. Disposition: five years probation
• Victor Lamon Thompson, 33, Bruce. Charges: two counts of sale of cocaine. Disposition: eight years in prison with five years suspended and three years to serve
• Anfani Thornton, 20, Horn Lake. Charge: robbery. Disposition: 10 years in prison with seven years suspended and three to serve
• Detra Webb, 38, Oxford. Charge: sale of a controlled substance. Disposition: Drug Court
• Kristin Willard, 21, Sardis. Charge: conspiracy. Disposition: one year in prison
• Donovan Brock Yates, 31, Rienzi, Charges: possession of marijuana and cocaine. Disposition: five years probation

 

 

LEGAL LINGO DEFINED

— When a case is retired to files, the charges are not prosecuted but have not been dismissed either. They are not usually brought up again unless the defendant commits another similar crime.

— If a sentence is suspended, the defendant may, or may not, serve some time in prison and then is generally placed on probation. If the probation is violated, they could go back to jail to serve the remainder of the suspended sentence.

— Intense supervised probation is essentially house arrest where a defendant must remain home unless at work, church or other pre-approved locations.

— Misdemeanor charges can appear in the court term for two reasons. Generally, they are handled at the lower court level first but then appealed to the Circuit Court, like first-time DUI charges. Some felony charges are reduced to a misdemeanor as part of a plea agreement.