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

Bolivar Co Criminal Trial Term Spring 2025

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Over the course of the 6 week term, multiple pleas were taken. Three very large and complicated first degree murder trials were resolved via plea to lesser included offenses of either second degree murder or manslaughter.

One jury trial was held in the six week term which resulted in verdicts of not guilty as to two defendants in a charge of first degree murder.

All cases not resolved will be continued to the next 6 week term in November-December 2025

🚨Summer Intern Alert!🚨 meet Maneia Sparks, our firm’s 2025 summer intern!

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A Renova, Mississippi native, Maneia is a second-year law student at Widener Commonwealth Law School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and a Doctor of Philosophy (PH.D) student in Criminal Justice Leadership at Liberty University.

At Widener, Maneia is an active member of the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity and has served as a Representative for the Black Law Students Association.

A 2021 Hall of Fame Inductee, Maneia earned a Bachelor's of Social Science Degree in Social Justice & Criminology and a Master's of Social Science in Criminal Justice & Criminology from Delta State University, as well as a Paralegal Degree enhanced by a Career and Technical Certification from Hinds College.

Maneia's academic achievements are paired with practical experience in criminal law and personal injury law. Maneia's plans after law school is to return back to Mississippi and continue her commitment to justice and legal advocacy.

Congratulations to CLF Intern Serenity Johnson!

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Congratulations to our 2024-25 intern, Serenity Johnson, as she finishes her last week with us and will soon walk the stage for her diploma. After a couple of weeks of well-earned vacation, Serenity will start this summer at Ole Miss working toward a masters in Homeland Security.

We have very much enjoyed having you here at the firm and best wishes to you in the future! - CLF

Congratulations to Attorney Meg Coker on her one year anniversary of law practice!

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In this short period of time, Meg has assisted with opening and managing our Tunica branch, trying multiple felony jury trials ranging from property crimes to violent crimes to first-degree murder in multiple counties in North Mississippi.

Meg also manages a significant justice court docket in Tunica County, volunteers in multiple capacities, including at her church and Odessa food pantry, and still finds the time to be a wonderful spouse and mother.

We are so proud of Meg during this first year and thankful every day to have her as an associate at CLF.