Miss. Shooter's Friend Sentenced
Repost
Miss. Shooter's Friend Sentenced
By PAUL PAYNE
BRANDON, Miss. (AP) - The alleged leader of a satanic group accused of
masterminding the deadly Pearl High School shootings was sentenced today
to a
boot camp-style rehabilitation program and five years of supervised
probation.
Grant Boyette, 20, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a reduced charge of
conspiracy in
the Oct. 1, 1997, attack that left two students dead and several others
wounded.
``You get the conviction you can get,'' District Attorney Richard D.
Mitchell
said following the sentencing.
Boyette was initially charged with three counts of accessory to murder
in the
school deaths and the fatal stabbing of Mary Woodham, the mother of
convicted
triggerman Luke Woodham.
Mitchell has said winning a conviction for Boyette would have been
difficult
because Woodham would have been the primary witness.
Boyette said little during the sentencing, which was attended by his
family
members and relatives of the shooting victims. He was immediately
handcuffed
and ushered out of the courthouse by deputies.
Family members declined to comment.
Woodham is serving three life sentences for fatally stabbing his mother,
then
carrying a gun to school and killing Christina Menefee, 16, whom he had
once
dated, and Lydia Kaye Dew, 17. He also wounded seven other students. It
was one
of a series of school shootings that shocked the nation.
Woodham testified during his 1998 trial that he had acted under direct
orders
from Boyette, a friend he described as both a mentor and tormentor who
had
introduced him to the occult.
He said Boyette told him he would be ``spineless and gutless'' if he
failed to
act.
Investigators said Boyette's group called itself the ``Kroth'' and
talked about
killing fellow students and worshipping the devil.
AP-NY-02-11-00
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The following appears courtesy of the 2/9/00 online edition of The
Biloxi/Gulfport Sun-Herald newspaper:
Pearl suit court date could be set soon
RALPH D. RUSSO
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSON - A civil lawsuit against the parents of members of a cultlike
group
accused of plotting the deadly shooting at Pearl High School could go to
trial
as early as this summer, attorneys say.
Kaye Long, the mother of Lydia Dew, one of two students killed by Luke
Woodham
during the Oct. 1, 1997, shooting spree at Pearl High School, filed the
lawsuit
in 1998.
The suit, which gives only one side of a legal argument, names the
parents of
members of the ''Kroth,'' a group supposedly led by Grant Boyette, and
the
Pearl Public School District as defendants. It claims negligence on the
part of
the school district and the parents.
The suit has been on hold while the criminal case against Boyette,
accused of
being the mastermind behind the shooting, made its way through the
courts.
Boyette pleaded guilty to a lesser conspiracy charge Tuesday, which
means there
are no more criminal charges related to the shootings.
The suit was supposed to go to trial this past January, but Long's
attorney
Michael Hartung, said the case ''basically stopped because law
enforcement
would not give me any information that was critical to our case.''
Both Hartung and attorney Skip Jernigan, who represents the Pearl School
District, said that they would expect a trial date to be scheduled some
time
this summer.
''In 30 to 90 days, we can probably get discovery done,'' Hartung said.
''From the spring up through the fall there was a lot going on (with the
case).
We deposed everybody in sight. People from the school district and
parents. And
we interviewed one member of the ''Kroth,'' Justin Sledge, who asserted
his
Fifth Amendment rights.''
At the time Sledge and four other teens, also reputed to be part of the
group,
were facing charges in connection with the shooting. All were
subsequently
dropped.
Hartung plans to renew his motion to override any possible assertion of
the
Fifth Amendment by the members of the ''Kroth'' during deposition
because there
is no longer a threat of prosecution.
''They were charged and the charges were dismissed. I should be entitled
to
interview them to my heart's content,'' he said.
Hartung believes that may include Boyette.
''I may subpoena Boyette and see if he'll talk to me,'' Hartung said.
''I'm
reluctant to do the same with Mr. (Luke) Woodham.''
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The following appears courtesy of the 2/9/00 online edition of The
WLBT-TV,
local Jackson, Mississippi NBC-TV affiliate station web site:
The final chapter
By Sherri Hilton
Feb. 9 – Is five years enough prison time for the mastermind of the
deadly
Pearl High School shooting? That’s what Grant Boyette faces after
pleading
guilty Tuesday to a lesser charge of conspiracy. Some say it is a slap
on the
wrist for such an evil crime, but others hope will be the final chapter
in the
Pearl shooting rampage.
“I just don’t feel like he got justice,” said Lora Brown, whose
daughter was injured in the 1997 shooting.
Seeing Grant Boyette walk out of the Courthouse, smiling, clean
cut and
free of handcuffs was upsetting to Lora Brown, a mother of 3 girls. Her
oldest,
Stephanie Wiggins, was one of the seven students injured in Luke
Woodham’s
bloody attack in the school commons.
“I feel like he should have got the same as Luke, 3 life sentences.
I mean
he was involved in it. He was up in there with him,” said Brown.
During his 1998 trial, Woodham said he killed under direct orders
from
Boyette, a friend who introduced him to the occult.
Pearl Mayor Jimmy Foster said, “I’m just glad it’s over.”
Mayor Foster believes Tuesday’s decision for a plea bargain was
the
right one. His own son was a target in the massacre, but was not
injured.
“There’s a lot of emotional scars. There’s a lot of peoples lives
who have
been effected by it from now on a lot of people, but it’s over now. It’s
history if you will and we can move on with it,” said Foster.
But for 17-year-old Stephanie Wiggins, that history is taking it’s
toll.
The 17-year-old senior left Pearl High last month and went to live with
her
father in Louisiana.
Facing a maximum of 5 years in prison...prosecutors say Grant Boyette
got off
lighter than they had hoped.
“She’s frustrated with it. She’s backing away from it. She doesn’t
want
to be known as the girl that got shot,” said Lora Brown, Wiggins’
mother.
Facing a maximum of 5 years in prison and a $1,000.00 fine,
prosecutors say
Grant Boyette got off lighter than they had hoped. They are pleased that
this
3-year nightmare for the small town of Pearl is coming to a close. Grant
Boyette will be sentenced Friday.
Prosecutors recommended that Boyette’s 5-year sentence be suspended
if he
completes the 8 month long regimented inmate discipline program at
Parchman
Prison. That program is equivalent to a military style boot camp.
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