Jessica Chambers suspect Tellis headed to Mississippi
A man accused in the burning death of Courtland teen Jessica Chambers and connected to the death of a Louisiana woman will head back to Mississippi for trial sooner than expected.
Quinton Tellis, 27, of Courtland, pleaded guilty in a Ouachita Parish, Louisiana court on Thursday to one count of unauthorized use of an access card. As a part of the plea agreement, he waived extradition and will be sent to Mississippi to face trial in the Chambers case.
Panola County District Attorney John Champion explained that Tellis may have to be processed into the Louisiana Department of Corrections, which could take a while.
"But if he doesn't have to be processed and we can come get him, he might could come back tomorrow," he said. "Now we just wait."
A jury trial was scheduled to begin Thursday morning in Louisiana on the access card charge and one count of possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute. Those charges stemmed from a case where Meing-Chen Hsaio, 34, was found dead in her Monroe, Louisiana, apartment after having been missing for a week. Tellis was seen on ATM video using her debit card on three occasions. He admitted to investigators that he used her card, but did not admit to her slaying.
Hsaio, known to her friends as Mandy, was a graduate of the University of Louisiana-Monroe. She was from Taiwan, and police said she and Tellis were acquaintances. Witnesses told police about seeing Tellis at Hsaio's apartment, and they were seen together on Wal-Mart surveillance footage.
Tellis was not charged in Hsaio's death, but Monroe police told The Clarion-Ledger they expected that he will be.
Earlier this week, 4th Judicial District Judge Larry Jefferson prohibited the discussion of "murder" and "alleged murder" in connection with two other cases tied to the defendant to prevent prejudicing the jury.
Chambers, 19, was found by responders on Dec. 6, 2014, burned alive on the road near her burning car. It kicked off a 14-month investigation that relied primarily on forensic evidence because a distinct lack of street chatter made pinning down suspects extremely difficult for investigators.
Tellis admitted to investigators that he was the last one to see her alive, but he has not confessed to killing her.
Panola County Sheriff Dennis Darby said he's "anxious to get him back."
"This is what we've been waiting on," Darby said.
Tellis was indicted by a Panola grand jury in February. He is charged with capital murder in Mississippi and indicted as a habitual offender under state law because of two previous burglary convictions and a felony fleeing conviction.
Extradition papers sent from Gov. Phil Bryant's office to the office of Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards asked that Tellis be sent back to Mississippi for trial even if he spends out his days in prison in Louisiana.
Tellis' deal in Louisiana saw the possession with intent charge severed from the agreement but not dismissed, which means he may face those charges in the future.
As part of the plea deal, Tellis was charged as a habitual offender, which doubles the maximum penalty for his charge from a five-year sentence to a 10-year hard labor sentence that will run concurrently with any other sentences.
News-Star reporter Ashley Mott contributed to this report.
Contact Therese Apel at tapel@gannett.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.