Results of JJ poll
The D.A. made some pretty serious allegations against JPD last week in the Irby case (See coverage on right side of the page.). Since the D.A. did make those charges and McMillin was the Chief at the time and the Irbys were his largest campaign donors, JJ asked if you thought McMillin tried to sabotage the investigation. Nearly 500 people voted in this poll. 49% thought Mac tried to sabotage the investigation. 37% don't think he did and 12% don't know.
Mac tried but failed
Smith is looking for an excuse
When does the Grand Jury convene?
Provided individuals are indicted, I bet 20/20 or Dateline will be returning.
Truly pathetic the way this investigation was handled. How many law enforcement agencies do not release BAC results? Especially in a high profile case where 2 doctors were killed.
Not to mention the Clarion Ledger's reporting on this case. First the arcane and inaccurate puff piece, then then the "seeking closure" article.
Be on the look out for future CL articles that involve homicide pleas where a double depraved heart murder/homicide defendant is seeking closure...
This says A LOT of this "publication".
Beyond insulting to the the family and friends of the 2 doctors.
http://nmisscommentor.com/2010/03/27/pondering-that-buried-lede-in-the-clarion-ledger-karen-irby-guilty-plea-story/
Irby eyes closure in fatal '09 Jackson crash
Attorney says client 'fragile, emotional'
Kathleen Baydala • kbaydala@clarionledger.com • March 27, 2010
The families of two doctors killed last year in a fiery car crash in Jackson are expected to attend the May sentencing of the woman who caused the wreck.
Hinds County Circuit Judge Tomie Green is scheduled to sentence Karen Irby, the 39-year-old wife of prominent Jackson businessman Stuart Irby, on May 11.
Karen Irby pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of culpable negligence manslaughter and faces a maximum 40 years in prison.
Irby was speeding through northeast Jackson on Feb. 11, 2009, when her Mercedes-Benz collided with a pickup driven by Dr. Mark Pogue on Old Canton Road. Pogue and his fiancee, Dr. Lisa Dedousis, died on the scene.
The Irbys were returning home from the Jackson Country Club, where they had dinner.
Families of the victims were not in court Friday but were informed of the plea deal beforehand, according to attorneys on both sides.
"Recently, Karen met privately with both the Dedousis and Pogue families and explained to them what happened in that horrible accident and answered their questions," said Joe Holloman, Irby's attorney. "She hopes (Friday's) proceedings will help bring further closure."
Dedousis' brother, Dr. John Dedousis, would not comment when reached Friday at his New Jersey office. He referred questions to attorney John Booth Farese, who did not return calls.
Attempts to reach Pogue's family were unsuccessful.
Matt Steffey, a Mississippi College School of Law professor who followed the case closely, said he believes it is unlikely Irby will receive the maximum penalty.
"With manslaughter convictions in vehicular homicide cases, the median number is closer to 10 years than it is to the max," he said.
Irby admitted in court that she had two glasses of wine and was driving in excess of the posted speed limit when she maneuvered her car into oncoming traffic "and as a result two people died." She did not give a statement to the swarm of reporters outside the courtroom and was rushed out by a deputy.
Irby's indictment said she was operating a vehicle at night at an excessive rate of speed, indiscriminately passing other motorists. Initially, it was reported she was traveling in excess of 100 mph.
Holloman described his client as "fragile and emotional" after the plea.
The Hinds County District Attorney's office said blood tests administered at the hospital 52 minutes after the crash showed Irby's alcohol level to be between .13 and .14 percent. The legal limit is .08 percent.
Irby had been charged with two counts of depraved-heart murder and one count of aggravated assault.
Jury selection had been set to begin next week. If her case had gone to trial and she was convicted, she faced life in prison.
The district attorney's office agreed to lessen the murder charges to culpable negligence manslaughter and to drop the aggravated assault charge because of the unavailability of Stuart Irby to testify. He was not present at her plea hearing.
Stuart Irby's attorneys have said he does not remember the wreck because of the injuries he sustained. They also said he would not testify against his wife, citing spousal immunity.
District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith said he agreed to the deal, partly because the crash investigation by the Jackson Police Department was incomplete.
"The investigators went out five days after the accident. We were surprised that the calculations (of how fast the car was traveling) and the photographs were not there" in the report, Smith said. "We asked for a second investigation."
JPD investigators, during the second investigation, changed their estimate of how fast Karen Irby was driving from 110 mph to a minimum of 70 miles per hour. The posted speed limit on Old Canton Road is 40 mph.
JPD investigators went back to the scene five days after the accident occurred to generate a computer model of what happened.
Assistant Police Chief Lee Vance said Friday the officer who initially performed the investigation is no longer investigating traffic fatalities.
"We felt like we had done a thorough investigation the first time, ... but the district attorney's office pointed out some flaws in our initial investigation," Vance said.
Vance said the initial investigation had to be redone and the speed calculation appeared to be wrong.
The district attorney did not make a sentencing recommendation Friday. Holloman said he is preparing to provide letters and testimony in hopes of swaying the judge toward leniency.
Chancery Court records show a divorce petition for Stuart and Karen Irby filed in 2008, but it was never acted upon and presumably has been dismissed. The couple has one child.
Stuart Irby is the grandson of the late Stuart C. Irby, founder of Irby Lighting.
KF, let's just see if the DA will follow through with those allegations. With what evidence the DA has, I don't believe it would be a stretch to get the Feds involved. This investigation & reconstruction is sickening, but we all saw it coming. Truly, could it have been any other way? If you think this is sabotage, you should see the investigation from the Brandon wreck which involved the police officer & the 19yr old, back in 2008. Ironic that an officer, with a "minor" as a front seat passenger, can hit & kill someone while driving excessive speeds then claim he's on a burglary call. Lips were as tight as butt cheeks in this case, even the media would not report THAT info when they had it in their hands. One thing is apparent, the police have the upper hand being as they are first on the scene & call the shots. Would they "cover" for one of their own or for one of their largest campaign donor's? Of course they would!
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