Hung Jury!

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This week Carr Law Firm lead trial counsel Mike Carr represented Erica Collins in a charge of First Degree Murder in Coahoma County stemming from a June 3, 2022 incident resulting in the death of her child’s father.

After one day of jury selection and one day of testimony, the Jury was unable to come to an agreement and mistrial was declared. The case will be reset for trial again later this year.

While a hung jury is always frustrating for our clients, we recognize that reasonable minds can differ on the issues. We do not know the split. The courts do not tell us. It could have been 6-6. It could have been 11-1. And the split could have been in favor of guilty or not guilty. We won’t know. That is the jury system.

We will continue to fight for our client as she continues to go through this legal process. We will just have to wait longer.

If you or a loved one have a criminal charge, call Carr Law Firm at 662-441-1529.

We work for justice. We get results.

Hung Jury in Leflore County, Mississippi

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Last week associate attorney Brady Keeton and lead trial counsel Mike Carr tried a bank robbery case in Leflore County. Main issue in the case was identity of the robber.

Jury was unable to come to an agreement and mistrial was declared. The case will be reset for trial again later this year.

While a hung jury is always frustrating for our clients, we recognize that reasonable minds can differ on the issues. That is the jury system.

This is also the second jury trial in Leflore County in a year where we were down to the last juror in the whole pool and barely able to get a jury. The jury trial system does not work if we don’t have juries.

If you get a summons - please serve. You or a loved one may need a jury one day too.

This was Brady Keeton’s first felony jury trial since graduating law school and passing the bar approximately 4 months ago. Brady is a hard working young lawyer on his way to do great things.

This was Mike Carr’s 101st felony jury trial.

Attorney Mike Carr Speaks at a Police Benevolent Foundation Seminar

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On Friday Jan 23, our firm helped sponsor a day long seminar with the Police Benevolent Foundation, Mississippi PBA Division of the Southern States, and LEAPS Training, LLC at Broadmoor Baptist church in Madison to educate law enforcement officers, administrators, and their family members about the hidden dangers of PTSD and it’s connection to the high rate of law enforcement suicide. We talked about therapy, sobriety, and many different issues facing law enforcement.

As part of this, I took the opportunity to discuss the increasing amount of work that our firm is doing representing officers before the Mississippi Board of Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Training (BLEOST).

In 15 years of being a PBA attorney, I had maybe one appearance before the board. This past year, I have had five. And more are on the way.

These board hearings are especially concerning because there is currently no requirement for BLEOST to produce discovery prior to the hearing - despite an officer’s request for it. It is the only board before which I’ve ever appeared where there is still trial by ambush. The officer literally learns in real time the entire investigative file against him. I have an appeal pending in Hinds county chancery court on this very issue at the moment.

And some officers are losing their certifications for up to 10 years. It ends careers.

Pictured in this post is a House Bill being discussed today to remedy this huge problem for officers. I’m glad that the lawyer/legislators that care about this issue on behalf of individual law enforcement officers are pushing it to the floor.

Thank you to Rep. Elliot Burch for assisting in drafting this bill (PBA atty and former MBN agent), and to fellow PBA atty Francis Springer for being our counterpart in South Mississippi in pushing this issue.

Individual officers are entitled to due process before BLEOST just like everyone else.

If you or a fellow officer get a notice letter from BLEOST, whether you are PBA or not, please consider contacting our firm at 662-441-1529. If we can’t help you, we can find someone who can.

Do not go alone. Join PBA. They are on your side.

🚨Motion to reduce police department officer pay denied!🚨

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A police chief (and PBA member) of a small town in the Delta called us yesterday afternoon advising of a special call board meeting to discuss cutting the pay of all officers and police chief. He was very concerned and wanted a legal voice for himself and his officers. We responded immediately.

This same chief has dedicated so much to the town - having recently written grants for 9 body cameras, and 15 pole cameras - working closely with DPS to get hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment to protect the citizens.

Meanwhile, the chief and his 4 officers, two part time and two full time, were being “rewarded” by the threat of getting paid less. I’m not even going to say the amount per hour here, but they should be ashamed. Babysitters make more than this.

This is not a way for a town to save money.

Fortunately, after a lengthy executive session, the motion did not pass. The rate of pay remains the same (still abysmally low). The town also hired another certified part time officer.

People will not live, invest, or raise a family in a town where they do not feel safe.

Takeaway: this is not a “pro police” or “anti police” post. This is an employer/labor post. You have to pay your employees a living wage. In any business. If you want to keep them. You just have to.

You absolutely get what you pay for. And coupled with the amazing power that we give law enforcement - to investigate, detain, arrest, search, seize, and (God help) shoot us - taxpayers must PAY them.

After 15 years of working as an attorney for the Police Benevolent Association all across the north half of the state, I am continually amazed at how little the rate of pay is for such an important job. I don’t know any other law-enforcement officer that doesn’t have some type of second job.

They work too many hours in too much of a difficult and stressful situation to have to work two jobs to live.

And yet we clutch our pearls when we hear stories of officers turning a blind eye to corruption, putting gas in their private vehicle with a gas card, double dipping on time sheets, or even worse taking bribes.

It’s not excusable. But we as taxpayers create motive or incentive to cut corners when we pay babysitter wages.

Glad we got a good result today. Encouraging all law-enforcement officers to be members of the police benevolent association. We will come and help you.

Attorney Mike Carr - Featured Speaker at the MS Bar's "Bridge the Gap" CLE

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Attorney Mike Carr was proud to be a featured speaker as part of the Mississippi Bar’s “Bridge the Gap” continuing legal education series on December 5, 2025.

Titled “The Columbus Rule: Duty to Colleagues in the Practice of Law”, this lecture focused on the rules of professional conduct surrounding (1) lawyer associate/lawyer partner duties to one another, (2) law firm staff confidentiality requirements and (3) candor to colleagues and fellow members of the bar both inside and outside of the courtroom.

We walked through about eight different scenarios with the group of approximately 50 lawyers as to how they would handle certain situations.

Overall theme: what goes around, comes around.

Thank you again to Chad Phillips of the MS Bar for putting all of this together.

We don’t just post wins. This week we lost. And it was heavy.

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This week we defended a young man in a county down in the 4th Circuit charged with capital murder. We fought hard for him, but the evidence and the law were not on our side. At about 8 pm on Friday night, the jury came back with a guilty verdict to an emotional audience in the courthouse. This young man will be sentenced to life in prison - as that is the only sentence under the law - and if there are no issues for appeal, he will die in prison. The State did not seek death.

It was a house burglary gone wrong six years ago. Our client was the lookout while three other young men went into an apartment to rob and steal. But our client knew what they were doing. He knew they had a gun. And even though he ran when he heard the shots, it doesn’t matter.

Our client went to the police after the crime, as we are all taught in school to do, and told them what happened with the inference that he would just be a witness against the rest and not charged. He was very wrong.

Despite his information being material and leading to the arrest of other defendants - our client was charged with capital murder same as the rest. Going to the police gave him nothing. Except maybe clarity of conscience, which is not what he sought.

The two assistant DA’s who tried the case were as open and fair as any we have been against. They told the jury from the start that this defendant was not the shooter. He was just the lookout. I appreciated the honesty. But the law doesn’t care. And they are right.

Judge McCray was an excellent judge before whom to try this complex and difficult case. Her many years of experience on the bench showed, and I appreciated her patience working with us lawyers, witnesses, the jury, and a very emotional courthouse audience as we frequently stayed after hours.

PSA: Despite my personal feelings about group punishment, or about a law that allows for a murder conviction when both sides agree the defendant didn’t kill anyone, the felony murder law is REAL. And we as citizens are presumed to know the law, even if many of our schools fail to teach it to us. My client dropped out of school at 14. But he is tasked to know the law same as me.

So I say all that to say - If you engage in an inherently dangerous activity, such as breaking into a house, or robbing someone on the street, and someone dies, even if that was not part of the plan - the “next thing I know” defense doesn’t work. That’s capital murder. And if a gun is used, Mississippi doesn’t care if you are 14 or 44. You will die in prison if the State doesn’t seek to kill you first.

Congratulations to Attorney Jessica Carr!

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Congratulations to Jessica Carr in her recent election to the Board of Commissioners for the Mississippi Bar representing Bolivar, Tunica, Coahoma, and Quitman Counties!

Bar Commissioners serve as the governing board of the The Mississippi Bar, including setting policy, approving bylaws, and managing the Bar's finances. Commissioners also oversee disciplinary procedures, employ staff, and act as the executive agency for the bar to ensure the preservation of good order and conduct among its members. Bar Commissioners review and approve disciplinary actions against attorneys, set salaries for employees of the Mississippi Bar, and have the power to create various practice sections which work to improve specific areas of law. Finally, Commissioners have the power to speak on behalf of the Mississippi Bar and take necessary actions for the effective governance of the Bar. Commissioners serve a three year term.

Jessica practices at Carr Law Firm where she specializes in criminal defense in municipal, justice, and circuit courts across north Mississippi.

Grand re-opening of Tunica Office

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Thank you to all who came by to the grand re-opening of our new satellite office in Tunica, located on the corner of Edwards and Harris, across from First Security Bank. (Once our sign permit gets finalized, we will put up our sign)

The town of Tunica and Tunica County have always been so welcoming to us - and were again today - with the mayor, county prosecutor, justice court judge, and representatives of the sheriff’s department in attendance.

Also a huge thank you to our family, friends, and fellow attorneys who dropped by or sent flowers to wish us well.

And of course, none of this could happen without our team of staff and attorneys at CLF.

Our Tunica office will be by appointment only for current clients. We will meet with potential new clients on Fridays.

Please call us at 662-441-1529 to schedule an appointment, whether it is for you or a loved one.

Carr Law Firm provides criminal defense representation for clients in Tunica, Desoto, Tate, Panola, Tallahatchie, Coahoma, Quitman, Bolivar, Washington, Sunflower, and Leflore counties.

🚨ANOTHER NOT GUILTY!🚨

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Carlos Hilliard Jr was charged with First Degree Murder regarding a 2023 club shooting with another co-defendant. That co-defendant later confessed to the shooting and plead guilty to manslaughter. Despite this, the State persisted in prosecuting Carlos for murder. Trusting his lawyers with his case, Carlos chose to go to trial. The jury found him not guilty in about 2hrs.

Enjoyed having Hinds County based attorney Sharon Spencer at the table with me on this one, and we look forward to future collaborations with her. Atty Spencer will continue to do big things so y’all keep an eye out.

This week’s trial marks our second first-degree murder trial in as many weeks. Last week’s trial ended with a hung jury after 4 days.

🚨Conviction Reversed!🚨

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In June 2024, our client was convicted at trial and sentenced to life in prison. The Mississippi Court of Appeals reviewed the case and found that during the trial, this particular assistant prosecutor engaged in misconduct so egregious as to merit a reversal and a new trial. The decision was unanimous. No justices dissented.

We preserved the record at trial, and Jackson-based attorney Graham Carner argued the case on appeal.

MS Bar Criminal Defense Section Annual Meeting was a Success!

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Thank you to Judges Smith Murphey (Tallahatchie, Panola, Yalobusha, Tate), Judge Carol White-Richard (Washington, Sunflower, Leflore) and Judge David McCarty (Mississippi Court of Appeals) for their panel discussion of docket management, jury instructions, and a lightning round of likes and dislikes in trial.

We had an excellent year, with the criminal defense section growing in membership by a record number and increasing revenue. We have a very active listserv where we have engaged discussions on how to improve practice in this area of law, as well as multiple CLE opportunities.

Proud to pass the gavel to Sellers Aafram as he becomes the 2025-2026 section chair.

Attorney Carr - Presenting at the MS Bar Annual Summer School on Criminal Law Hot Topics

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Enjoyed presenting at the MS Bar Annual Summer School on criminal law hot topics with fellow presenters:

Angel Myers McIlrath - District Attorney for the 19th Circuit Court District, serving the citizens of Jackson, George and Greene Counties

Mike Scott - Senior Litigator at the Office of Federal Public Defender, Jackson, MS

Aafram Sellers - private practice attorney in Jackson, MS specializing in state and federal criminal defense and Vice Chair of the Criminal Defense Section of the Mississippi Bar

We discussed best practices in mitigation during plea negotiations, new approaches in restorative justice, war stories, and even a bit of the Diddy trial.

Tunica County criminal trial term update:

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Week 1: one case was tried where a defendant was found not guilty of felony fleeing from law enforcement from a 2024 incident

Week 2: one case was tried where a defendant was charged in one count of sexual battery and two counts of child fondling from events allegedly occurring in 2010 to 2012 (thirteen to fifteen years ago) - jury was hung on all three counts and a mistrial was declared