Quinton Tellis is eligible for early release from prison
A man accused of two murders, one in Louisiana and one in Mississippi, will return to Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, when his current sentence at Louisiana State Penitentiary concludes, according to District Attorney Steve Tew.
Quinton V. Tellis, 30, is accused of the first-degree murder of Ming-chen Hsiao in July 2015. Hsiao was a recent graduate of the University of Louisiana Monroe at the time of her death. She was killed in a small apartment near the campus.
In May 2016, Tellis entered a guilty plea to one count of unauthorized use of an access card in 4th Judicial District Court for using Hsiao's debit card after her death. He received a 10-year sentence as a habitual offender.
Tellis has been housed at Angola in Louisiana since Oct. 5 following an Oct. 1 mistrial on capital murder charges connected to the burning death of Jessica Chambers, age 19, in Panola County, Mississippi, in 2014.
According to Department of Corrections records, if Tellis served his full sentence, he would be released on Aug. 19, 2025, but he is eligible for early release with the accrual of good time — sentence credits that allow inmates to earn time off their prison term.
Tellis only needs to serve 35 percent of his sentence and has an early release date, per the Department of Corrections, of Feb. 18.
In a Jan. 18 interview, Tew said the district attorney's office will use a detainer held by Ouachita Parish to keep Tellis in custody and bring him back to Ouachita Correctional Center. Authorities in Panola County also have a detainer on Tellis.
Tew said a warrant is on file for Tellis on charges of first-degree murder, and the DA'S office is reviewing the case. He also indicated he believes his office will go forward with a murder case.
Tew did not say if a grand jury will be convened for Tellis to determine final charges or if the DA'S office intends to
amott@thenewsstar.com USA TODAY NETWORK - TENNESSEE