‘Unspeakable Crime’ series finishes look at Jessica Chambers case Saturday
The TV documentary series detailing the burning death of Jessica Chambers and the trials of suspect Quinton Tellis concludes Saturday with a look at the recent retrial.
“Unspeakable Crime: The Killing of Jessica Chambers” will air at 6 p.m. CDT on the Oxygen network.
Saturday’s sixth installment was added to the five-part series to incorporate the second trial of Tellis after last October’s first trial ended with a hung jury. The retrial, which concluded Oct. 1 in Batesville, resulted in a second mistrial. Jurors from Oktibbeha County were unable to reach a unanimous verdict following about 11 hours of deliberation.
Prosecutors have not announced whether they will pursue a third trial against Tellis, who has returned to Louisiana where he faces trial for an unrelated murder.
The series has focused on the courtroom drama and also has explored racial tensions that some believe the trial has exacerbated in the small Panola County community of Courtland, about 60 miles south of Memphis.
Ron Maxey of The Commercial Appeal and Therese Apel of The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi, covered both trials for the USA TODAY Network and were included in segments for the series.
Chambers, 19 at the time of her death, was found by first-responders the evening of Dec. 6, 2014, stumbling ablaze from a wooded area on a Courtland road where her burning car was found.
Rescuers in both trials testified that Chambers seemed to be saying someone named “Eric” or “Derek” set her on fire.
Prosecutors contend she was making sounds that someone interpreted as those words, then the power of suggestion took over.
Medical experts testified in the recent retrial that it was unlikely Chambers could have formed true words given how badly burned she was.
Tellis’ defense team hammered on the apparent name discrepancy, however, to sow a seed of reasonable doubt in the mind of jurors.
For more information on the Oxygen series, visit the series website.