State rests in retrial for man charged in Clinton murder
>> ALL RIGHT, CRYSTAL, THANK YOU. IN JACKSON, TESTIMONY IS CONTINUING IN THE RETRIAL OF A ONETIME POPULAR SOCIAL MEDIA BLOGGER ACCUSED OF MURDERING A COMMUNITY ACTIVIST MORE THAN TWO YEARS AGO. >> THAT’S RIGHT. THE STATE RESTED ITS CASE AGAINST WILLIAM POLO EDWARDS THIS AFTERNOON, 16 WAPT ROSS ADAMS JOINS US LIVE FROM THE HINDS COUNTY COURTHOUSE TONIGHT, WHERE THERE WAS ALSO A NOTABLE MOMENT WHEN HINDS COUNTY D.A. JODY OWENS NAME CAME UP IN COURT. ROSS. >> THAT’S RIGHT. THAT REVELATION GOT EVERYONE IN THE COURTROOM BY SURPRISE. ONE ISSUE FOR INVESTIGATORS EARLY ON WAS WHO, IF ANYONE, HELPED EDWARDS ESCAPE THE JACKSON METRO AREA AFTER THE DEADLY SHOOTING. MORE THAN TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO. EARLIER IN THE DAY, WE SAW VIDEO THAT WASN’T SHOWN IN THE FIRST TRIAL, TO WHICH THE THE DEFENSE OBJECTED. THE DA’S OFFICE SAYS THE RING CAMERA IMAGES SHOW WILLIAM POLO EDWARDS LEAVING HIS APARTMENT WITH A GUN IN HIS RIGHT HAND. ONE DAY BEFORE AUTHORITIES SAY EDWARDS FIRED NINE BULLETS INTO ROBERT BOBBY DAVIS ON MAY 1ST, 2022, DAVIS DIED INSIDE THE CLINTON HOME OF SHADOW ROBINSON, WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN INVOLVED IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH EDWARDS. EDWARDS IS INDICTED ON FIRST DEGREE MURDER CHARGES AND FOR BEING A FELON IN POSSESSION OF A FIREARM. THE JUDGE SAID THE STATE WOULD BE WOULD BE ALLOWED TO USE THE RING VIDEO TO DEMONSTRATE THAT EDWARDS SHOULD HAVE NOT HAD HIS HANDS ON A WEAPON, BUT NOT TO TRY TO CONVINCE THE JURY THAT THE WEAPON WAS USED TO KILL DAVIS. THIS AFTERNOON. UNDER CROSS-EXAMINATION, EDWARDS ASKED FORMER CLINTON POLICE DETECTIVE GREG JONES ABOUT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THEY INVESTIGATED. OTHER PEOPLE BESIDES HIM WHO THEY INVESTIGATED, AND THAT’S WHEN THE DA’S NAME CAME UP. >> WHEN I TELL Y’ALL WE INVESTIGATED EVERYBODY THAT HAD ANY DEALINGS WITH MR. EDWARDS, WE INVESTIGATED EVERYBODY. SO. >> SO YOU’RE TESTIFYING TO THE MEN AND WOMEN IN YOUR OWN RIGHT THAT YOU INVESTIGATED JODY ON? >> THAT IS CORRECT. WE INVESTIGATED EVERYBODY IN THIS CASE. I MEAN, COMMUNICATION OR ANY ACCOMPLICE WITH MR. EDWARDS. >> JONES IS NOW A LIEUTENANT WITH THE PEARL POLICE. TEST TESTIFIED. SURVEILLANCE VIDEO FROM A FUN TIME SKATE LINE. SKATELAND ON HIGHWAY 80 CAPTURED THE FORD F-450 PICKUP TRUCK. EDWARDS WAS DRIVING AS HE SPED DOWN HIGHWAY 80. JUST ONE MINUTE AFTER THE DEADLY SHOOTING ON HANNAH DRIVE. EDWARDS WAS ARRESTED TWO DAYS LATER IN NEW ORLEANS AFTER POLICE USED CELLPHONE TECHNOLOGY TO PING HIS LOCATIONS TO TRACK HIS WHEREABOUTS. NOW, THE DEFENSE HAS STARTED PRESENTING ITS CASE, CALLING A NUMBER OF WITNESSES. THREE CLINTON POLICE OFFICERS, IN FACT, INCLUDING A DETECTIVE, KEITH BURNETT, WHO JUST TESTIFIED THAT SHADOW ROBINSON TOLD HIM THAT HE SAW EDWARDS. SHE SAW EDWARDS STANDING OVER BOBBY DAVIS FIRING THE LAST TWO SHOTS IN HIS BODY, THE VERY LATEST FROM HERE AT THE HINDS COUNTY COURTHOUSE.
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State rests in retrial for man charged in Clinton murder
The state rested its case Wednesday in the retrial for a man charged in a 2022 murder in Clinton. William "Polo" Edwards is charged with first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm in a shooting at a home on Hannah Drive that killed Robert "Bobby" Davis. The first trial ended with a hung jury and a mistrial in August 2023.Edwards was at one time a popular video blogger who posted daily videos live on Facebook. He was also a former radio talk show host. Davis was an activist and founder of The Better Men Society.The Hinds County District Attorney's Office played Ring camera video for the jury, which prosecutors said shows Edwards with a gun in his hand inside his Jackson apartment the day before the shooting. The video was not shown during the first trial.The first witness on Wednesday was Pearl police Lt. Greg Jones, who was a detective with the Clinton Police Department at the time of the crime. Jones said after the shooting, police got a search warrant for Edwards' apartment in Jackson. Officers forced their way in after no one answered. Jones said a thumb drive was found inside the apartment that contained the Ring camera video. Jones said a search warrant allowed him to access Edwards' Facebook page. He read the following post to the jury:"God, I don’t need you to forgive me for nothing I do, save that for the ones I’m go(ing to) send to you."Jones said it was posted the day after the shooting.The state called several witnesses on Tuesday, including Shadow Robinson, who lived at the home where the shooting took place. Robinson had been in a relationship with Edwards, which she broke off. She said Edwards didn't want it to end and showed up unannounced at her home on May 1, 2022, after Davis confronted him.Robinson testified that Edwards killed her friend Davis, but admitted that she didn't actually see Edwards pull the trigger. Robinson said she saw Davis lying on the floor with Edwards standing over him with a gun. Edwards was captured in New Orleans two days later.The jury has been sequestered since testimony began on Tuesday.
JACKSON, Miss. —
The state rested its case Wednesday in the retrial for a man charged in a 2022 murder in Clinton.
William "Polo" Edwards is charged with first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm in a shooting at a home on Hannah Drive that killed Robert "Bobby" Davis. The first trial ended with a hung jury and a mistrial in August 2023.
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'He did shoot him,' star witness in Clinton murder trial says
Edwards was at one time a popular video blogger who posted daily videos live on Facebook. He was also a former radio talk show host. Davis was an activist and founder of The Better Men Society.
The Hinds County District Attorney's Office played Ring camera video for the jury, which prosecutors said shows Edwards with a gun in his hand inside his Jackson apartment the day before the shooting. The video was not shown during the first trial.
The first witness on Wednesday was Pearl police Lt. Greg Jones, who was a detective with the Clinton Police Department at the time of the crime. Jones said after the shooting, police got a search warrant for Edwards' apartment in Jackson. Officers forced their way in after no one answered. Jones said a thumb drive was found inside the apartment that contained the Ring camera video.
Jones said a search warrant allowed him to access Edwards' Facebook page. He read the following post to the jury:
"God, I don’t need you to forgive me for nothing I do, save that for the ones I’m go(ing to) send to you."
Jones said it was posted the day after the shooting.
16 WAPT
The state called several witnesses on Tuesday, including Shadow Robinson, who lived at the home where the shooting took place. Robinson had been in a relationship with Edwards, which she broke off. She said Edwards didn't want it to end and showed up unannounced at her home on May 1, 2022, after Davis confronted him.
Second murder trial to proceed despite questions over representation
Robinson testified that Edwards killed her friend Davis, but admitted that she didn't actually see Edwards pull the trigger. Robinson said she saw Davis lying on the floor with Edwards standing over him with a gun. Edwards was captured in New Orleans two days later.
The jury has been sequestered since testimony began on Tuesday.
