A suspect has been arrested in connection with the murder of a woman whose body was discovered inside her Yazoo City apartment home.
Lavonte Ellington was apprehended by the Yazoo City Police Department Wednesday morning in the Tchula area and has been charged with murder, said Chief Kenny Hampton.
Yazoo County Coroner Ricky Shivers said Margaret Harris, 33, was pronounced dead on the scene by Pafford paramedics around 1 a.m. on Sept. 17 inside her Graystone Apartment home.
Shivers said he believed she died a few hours earlier, around 11 p.m. Friday. The official cause of her death is pending autopsy results, which were unavailable as of press time.
"We began handling this incident as a murder investigation after the victim was found with a gunshot wound," Hampton said. "Although we are waiting on official autopsy results, this is still a murder investigation."
Officers first responded to Harris’ apartment home following a call to 911. Assistant Chief Richard Brooks said Ellington was brought in for questioning after it was discovered he had a contempt of court warrant. At the time, there was not enough evidence to charge him in connection to Harris’ death. However, as the investigation proceeded, the case took a turn, Hampton added.
“This is a strange case,” Hampton said. “But our investigation continues to put the pieces together.”
