Mississippi
MS man whose death sentence was overturned in 2023 is now facing death again. Here’s why
A man on Mississippi’s death row whose conviction was overturned last year will remain on death row after a federal appellate court said the lower court made the ruling in error.
Terry Pitchford was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in 2006 for the death of a man in a Grenada County grocery store during an armed robbery in 2004.
The victim, Reuben Britt, reportedly was shot with two different types of guns. One of the guns turned out to be Britt’s, according to court records.
Pitchford allegedly took part in an earlier attempted robbery of the grocery store. When investigators with the Grenada County Sheriff’s Office searched the vehicle that witnesses said they saw at the grocery store, they found the victim’s gun.
The vehicle was parked outside Pitchford’s house.
In 2023, Terry Pitchford’s conviction and death sentence were set aside and a new trial ordered by a federal district court judge.
Despite the ruling, the 39-year-old remained listed on the Mississippi Department of Corrections’ death row while Mississippi Attorney Lynn Fitch appealed the ruling to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
On Friday, the conviction and sentence were reinstated by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals after it determined the judge in Pitchford’s case considered whether the elimination of four potential jurors who were Black was racially motivated.
U.S. District Judge Michael Mills of the Mississippi Northern District said the state Supreme Court erred when it ruled in Pitchford’s 2010 appeal that the trial court did not excuse four out of five potential Black jurors because of their skin color.
The trial judge said the prosecution was able to prove the non-white members of the jury pool were all dismissed for valid reasons that had nothing to do with race. He allowed the trial to begin with 11 white and one Black juror with two white alternates.
The racial makeup of Grenada County was about 40% Black at the time of Pitchford’s trial.
Pitchford admitted to his role in the crime, but said he did not shoot Britt. According to court documents, Pitchford and his friend Eric Bullin went to the Crossroads Grocery store intending to rob it.
The intended robbery turned deadly when Bullin shot Britt three times with a .22 caliber pistol, while Pitchford said he fired shots into the floor. Bullin is serving 60 years for five crimes, including 20 years for manslaughter, according to Mississippi Department of Corrections records.
Lici Beveridge is a reporter for the Hattiesburg American and Clarion Ledger. Contact her at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on X @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.
Mississippi
Upgraded weather threat expected between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. today; Safe room open for emergencies – Mississippi's Best Community Newspaper
Upgraded weather threat expected between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. today; Safe room open for emergencies
Published 11:38 am Sunday, January 5, 2025
- National Weather Service
NATCHEZ — Severe storms are likely this afternoon into the evening, with primary hazards being damaging wind gusts as high as 60 to 70 miles per hour, possible tornadoes and quarter-size hail, according to the National Weather Service.
The timing of this storm for the Mississippi River region, around Adams County and Concordia Parish, is between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. today and between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. for central Mississippi in the Interstate 55 corridor and between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m. for eastern and southeastern Mississippi in the Interstate 59 to Highway 45 corridors.
Adams County Emergency Management Liaison Officer Niefa Hardy, Ph.D., said the Adams County Safe Room at 323 Liberty Road opened at 10 a.m. for anyone in need of shelter.
“Please bring food, drinks, medication, a blanket, and any essential items. Small pets are welcome, but they must be in a kennel,” she said.
“You can also stay weather aware by listening to your local radio and television stations and following the Adams County Emergency Management Facebook page for immediate updates.”
Jan 05, 2025 12:01 PM IST
Now a video has emerged of the woman praising him as “incredible” during their divorce proceedings.
STARKVILLE — South Carolina basketball had just started to show signs of life late in the first half.
Mississippi State had led by 22 points only a few minutes earlier, but the gap shrunk to 15. Any more cuts to the lead, and the Gamecocks would be the ones with momentum entering halftime. That’s when MSU locked it down.
The Bulldogs finished the half on a 10-0 run in two minutes of game time. All five baskets were layups — three of them off turnovers and on the fast break. Defense was turned to offense. It was a crucial moment in Mississippi State’s 85-50 dismantling of South Carolina (10-4, 0-1 SEC) that got the Humphrey Coliseum crowd on its feet in the SEC opener.
It also epitomized how No. 16 Mississippi State (13-1, 1-0) can be at its best.
“When we’re at our best, we’re very active on the ball, we’re handsy and got frenetic activity off the ball,” MSU coach Chris Jans said after the win. “They’re all wired and bought in. And when we are lethargic and not in stances, which obviously we’ve done a ton this particular season, we’re just getting exposed. And so hopefully this will make them feel good about what we’ve been trying to preach to them and get them to buy in even more in this particular group, so we can play that style of basketball.”
Mississippi State self-identified a weakness
There aren’t many stats that indicate the Bulldogs have a weakness except for one: 3-point defense. They entered Saturday’s game allowing 35.5% on 3-pointers, No. 294 in the country. No. 13 UConn was the only other ranked team in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll with a worse mark.
Jans said Saturday that Mississippi State is at the bottom of the SEC in contesting 3-pointers, and it has been a point of emphasis in the past few weeks.
MSU’s two other baskets during the 10-0 run came off missed South Carolina 3-pointers. Both of them were contested.
“I think that just comes down to us wanting to just sacrifice and do what it takes to win,” said Josh Hubbard, who led Mississippi State with 21 points. “It all starts with Jans’ game plan, and we all believe in it. When we have that connectedness and that toughness, it shows on the court.”
South Carolina made only two 3-pointers on 19 attempts, the fewest Mississippi State has allowed since coach Ben Howland’s last game on March 16, 2022.
“You hear me say this all the time like a broken record, but it usually goes back to, in that particular possession, to the point of attack, and what we did or didn’t do,” Jans said. “It’s usually a mistake that happens there that maybe doesn’t show up for a pass or two, and then they get a wide-open look.
“The last three or four games, we’ve been better. Tonight, obviously was really good numbers-wise, but even the other games, we’ve been getting slowly better at it.”
Mississippi State’s win vs South Carolina broke records
Mississippi State’s blowout win set two records:
- Largest margin of victory for an SEC game in the Jans era.
- Fewest points allowed in an SEC game in the Jans era.
It was also the second-largest margin of victory in all games in the Jans era, two points behind the 2022 win against South Dakota.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
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