Jackson Free Press

The District Attorney's Mistrial: What Just Happened? A Day-by-Day Primer

The Mississippi attorney general's prosecution of Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith for conspiracy to hinder prosecution in order to aid or assist a defendant ended in a mistrial …

UPDATED: Darnell Turner Gets 45 Years, Judge Brings Up DA Smith

The young woman who accused Darnell Turner of beating her, dragging her, strangling her, shooting at her car, and dangling her off a bridge in the Washington Addition when she …

Down Home at Da Shak Grill

Frederick Terry, who is the owner and chef at Da Shak Grill in Bryam, started learning how to cook around the age of 16.

DOSSIER: Incoming DA Faces Accusations, NBC's Tentacles in Mississippi

Multiple women are accusing Jody Owens, who won the Democratic primary and faces no challenger in November, of inappropriate and sexual behavior and comments from his time as the managing …

DA Smith Wins on One Count, But Passes on 'Whistleblower' Bad Check Claims

The trial against Downtown Jackson Partners President Ben Allen wound up on Feb. 7, even as the woman who landed him there remained conspicuously absent from the courtroom.

The 2009 JFP Interview With Faye Peterson

Faye Peterson dropped out of the Jackson mayoral race last week, though some joke she more likely dived out the window just to get away from the crowd.

2015 Artist to Watch: Tlo da Champ

Growing up, music was a constant for Jackson-based hip-hop artist Tony Lofton, known to fans as Tlo da Champ.

DA Alleges Racism; Former DA Weighs In

Even as Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith is alleging racism in the Hinds County Justice system, his African American predecessor says that it was her job to find a …

Why Peterson Needs to Stay DA

I didn't know Faye Peterson from Eve when she ran for re-election four years ago. I knew much was being made about the criminal "backlog" (that she inherited). I knew …

The Case Against the Hinds DA: A Long-Running Hinds County Whodunit Ends

Jackson has been enveloped in a seemingly ripe "whodunit" case involving Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith since 2011.

DA Smith Should Recuse from Thomas Killing

Both the DA and Jackson police seem to be assuming that the killing would fall under the state's Castle Doctrine, but it is entirely unclear whether a grand jury would …

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The Locked-Up Teenage Girl at Center of Hinds County Contention

Crystal Marshall has been at Henley -Young Juvenile Detention Center up on a hill in a warehouse-lined area of Jackson on capital murder charges since right around Valentine's Day—less than …

Da' T.R.U.T.H. and Nothing But Da' T.R.U.T.H.

Da' T.R.U.T.H., a Christian hip hop artist and Grammy award nominee, will be ministering at The Church Triumphant's Youth Truth Explosion 2008 on Tuesday, July 22 and Wednesday, July 23 …

'Never in This Courtroom': Allen Trial Twists, Turns with Accuser Absent

Over the last two days, the prosecution tried hard to convince a Hinds County jury that President Ben Allen mishandled public money while leading the Downtown Jackson Partners business improvement …

UPDATED: Top Jackson, Hinds Officials Fight Charges, Settle Lawsuits for Harassment, More

The "Weinstein era" of exposing sexual misconduct has launched many powerful and high-profile men out of their career posts and into the spotlight for their raunchy and violating behaviors in …

Aria da Capo

A grade school principal with strong features looks angrily at the girl before him who dared to speak her mind. He then throws a book across the room, barely missing …

Clarion-Ledger Makes Absurd Error About ‘Drunk' Motion

In their belated story today about the motion filed accusing Melton being drunk the night of the Ridgeway rampage—which we reported about Friday—The Clarion-Ledger states that the motion "became public" …

The DA’s Puzzling Accusations

A week after Special Judge Larry Roberts ordered files unsealed in the wide-ranging charges against Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith for allegedly improperly trying to help a defendant, …

UPDATED: Hinds DA Smith's Aggravated Stalking, Robbery Trial Resumes After Delays

Jury selection began today in Rankin County for Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith's latest trial for an aggravated stalking charge and a robbery charge for allegedly attacking ex-girlfriend …

What Can the Hinds DA Do to Cure the System?

Incoming Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens vows a criminal-justice approach focused on public safety and, hopefully, more alternatives to prison.