The trial of the couple accused of murdering a local businessman will be held in another county after their defense team said they wouldn’t receive a fair trial in Yazoo County.
Judge Jannie Lewis-Blackmon granted the defendants’ motion for a change of venue last Friday.
The trial of Johnny Mack and Shontina Brown, charged with the murder of Ricky Saxton, will be held in Warren County at an undetermined time.
“The date in which this case will be tried in Warren County will be given upon scheduling with the Warren County Circuit Clerk,” said Lewis-Blackmon, in her order filed last week.
The defense team said a change of venue was necessary because there were “threats of violence towards the accused, that there has been an inordinate amount of media coverage, that this is a crime against an influential family and that the crime was committed by a black defendant upon a white victim.”
In support of claims of threats of violence, the defense presented a Facebook post that contained three threats from people within the community. Threats were also made in a Facebook chat group called “Hulk Team,” according to the defense.
Family members of the Brown couple also said they have felt threatened.
The former attorney of Johnny Mack Brown, who stepped down from representation earlier this year, said he had received threats.
“In a form of an affidavit testimony, attorney Michael Rushing, former counsel in this matter states that there were threats of violence that he received in regards to his serving as legal representation for the defendant Johnny Mack Brown,” the order reads.
The state also produced two witnesses who said they that although they knew about the case, they never heard much discussion of it publically.
The defense also presented copies of The Yazoo Herald to show their claim of “inordinate media coverage.”
From 2013-2016, The Herald published 18 articles covering the Saxton murder case. It was also reported as the top story of the year in 2013 when the murder occurred and in 2015 when an arrest was made in the case.
The Herald also reported on the Browns’ arrests on its Facebook page, including photographs of the suspects.
“They (the defendants) contend that this inordinate amount of media coverage has saturated the jury pool in Yazoo City,” the order states.
The state produced a Yazoo County voter roll citing 19,000 registered voters in comparison to The Herald’s nearly 4,000 subscribers in rebuttal. Herald Publisher Jason Patterson testified that an independent study concluded that newspapers are read by an average of 2.5 people each.
The defense also said Saxton came from an influential family” that owns a variety of businesses throughout the community.
“...because of the Saxton’s family influence the defendants will not be able to receive a fair and impartial trial in Yazoo County,” the order reads.
In her order, Lewis-Blackmon agreed the defendants’ families had received threats of violence from the community.
“The court further finds that The Yazoo Herald has been consumed with the Saxton murder, in print as well as social media...” the order said. “Therefore the potential jury pool in Yazoo County has received an inordinate amount of media coverage of a crime allegedly committed against a member of an influential or well-known family and by black defendants upon a white victim.”
Lewis-Blackmon said Warren County would be an appropriate alternative venue because it is similar in racial demographics.
“Yazoo County has a demographic makeup of 56 percent black and 36 percent white, while Warren County has a demographic makeup of 53 percent black and 44 percent white,” the order states.
The Yazoo Herald will continue to cover the trial in Warren County Circuit Court.
