State Appeals Court upholds attempted murder conviction in Oktibbeha Co.
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The State Appeals Court upheld the conviction of a man who tried to kill another man in Starkville in 2019.
Jessie Carpenter was sentenced to 30 years in prison for shooting Antonio Hart in December 2019.
According to court documents, the two men had an argument in the Summer of that year. On December 15, Carpenter was with two other people in a parked car in Starkville when Hart arrived.
Carpenter got out of the car. The two men exchanged words. Carpenter pulled a gun and shot Hart in the chest. When Hart fell to the ground, Carpenter fired again, hitting him in the arm. He tried to fire again, but the gun jammed. Hart managed to get away and drove himself to the hospital.
Carpenter was arrested a day later and reportedly admitted to the shooting.
He was charged with attempted murder and being a felon in possession of a weapon. He was convicted in Oktibbeha County in early 2022, and sentenced to 30 years in prison. He was also sentenced as a habitual offender and, therefore not eligible for parole.
Carpenter’s lawyers claimed the judge gave improper instructions to the jury.
The Court of Appeals disagreed and upheld the conviction and sentence.
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