UPDATE: $1 Million Bond Set in Tangled Columbus Shooting Case
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) — The name already has been associated with a murder charge this year only to be removed later. Now it’s attached to a new murder case and Columbus police think they have the name and person correct this time.
A $1 million bond was set today for 30-year-old Belly Lee Kennedy in the shooting death of his second cousin, 41-year-old Carl Junior Miller. He was found shot in the passenger seat of a pickup truck in front of 2602 Puckett Ridge Parkway in north Columbus at about 2:30 Saturday morning.
The truck belonged to the Kennedy family who lived at the home with others. Miller is a Starkville native who lived California until last October when he returned to the Starkville area.
Police have been tightlipped on details, including how many times Miller was shot and whether a weapon or other evidence has been recovered. Kennedy has been interviewed but detectives won’t discuss his statements.
“The motive for the shooting is still under investigation. I don’t want to say anything that’s going to jeopardize the investigation at this point. We do believe that both the subjects were on the scene at the same time, we do believe they knew each other and we know they were cousins,” explained Brent Swan, captain over the department’s detective division.
Billy Kennedy was among several people at the scene when officers arrived and originally gave them a fake name. But officers knew his real identity because his brother Arthur had used his name when Arthur was arrested in January for murder in a fatal New Year’s morning shooting at the Heidi Ho Lounge.
Only after his arrest did police learn his brother, Arthur Kennedy, was using Billy Lee’s name to avoid more trouble because he already was on probation. Police cleared up the paperwork in that case to get the right name with the right man.
Now both Arthur and Billy Kennedy remain in the Lowndes County Jail in separate cells. Both are charged with murder.
ORIGINAL POLICE PRESS RELEASE
COLUMBUS, Miss. (Police Press Release) —
Kennedy
On New Year’s Day, the Columbus Police Department was called to the Heidi Ho club on 22nd Street South in reference to a shooting. The suspect of the shooting identified himself as Billy Lee Kennedy AKA Rockefeller who was the D.J. of the club. When Columbus Police investigators charged the suspect, several calls came in stating the person we had in custody was Arthur Kennedy who is Billy Lee Kennedy’s brother. Investigators spent several days confirming the identity of the person in custody. The person in custody for the New Years Day murder was later confirmed to be Arthur Kennedy who was on MDOC probation out of Choctaw county. The delay consisted of Investigators finding several credible people to confirm the identity, because Arthur had assumed Billy’s name for numerous arrest. Arthur and Billy are brothers.
On February 28th, Columbus Police were called to respond to 2602 Puckett Parkway around 02:28 for a shooting. When officers arrived, they found a victim, Carl Junior Miller (41 yoa) from Apple Valley, California, who appeared to be suffering from a gunshot wound. Mr. Miller was transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Columbus Investigators spoke with several people on the scene and identified a person of interest who gave false identifying information to police officers. Investigators identified the person of interest as Billy Lee Kennedy who is the brother of Arthur Kennedy from the New Years Day murder at the Heidi Ho. Billy Lee Kennedy was interviewed and Columbus investigators found probable cause to arrest Billy Lee Kennedy charging him with the Murder of Carl Junior Miller. Carl Junior Miller and Billy Lee Kennedy are related (2nd cousins) and knew each other. Details, evidence of the crime, and motive of the shooting will not be released at this time, because the investigation is ongoing. Lowndes County Coroner, Greg Merchant, will determine the exact cause of death through autopsy.
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