JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The Mississippi Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction of the man who attempted to kill Lauderdale County Chancery Court Judge Charles Smith.
Ernest Edwards was convicted of attempted capital murder in June 2022. Prosecutors said he shot Smith in the back while the judge was getting out of his truck at the Lauderdale County courthouse on March 16, 2020.
Smith was in critical condition after the shooting, but he returned to the bench after two months of convalescence.
The trial was moved to Lafayette County. After his conviction, Edwards was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
During the trial, the court overruled Edwards’ objections to testimony from two law enforcement officers regarding information they had received during their investigation. He argued that the testimony was hearsay and violated his right to confront the witnesses against him.
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Ernest Edwards (Courtesy: MDOC) -
In this undated photo, Lauderdale County Chancery Court Judge Charles Smith poses for a photo in Mississippi. Police said Smith was shot and critically wounded Monday, March 16, 2020, outside the Lauderdale County Courthouse in downtown Meridian, Miss. (The Meridian Star via AP)
However, court officials said the testimony was offered to explain law enforcement’s next steps in the investigation, not to prove the truth of the matter asserted.
The Mississippi Court of Appeals said the statements were not hearsay and the officers’ testimony did not violate Edwards’ right of confrontation. The Court of Appeals also stated that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by overruling Edwards’ objections.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.