Life in prison for murder of woman, child

[Cidp24]

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October 14, 2009

Hughes gets life in prison

Ex-Jackson teacher gets two life sentences

By Jimmie E. Gates
jgates@clarionledger.com
A Madison County jury of nine women and three men that convicted Carla Hughes of killing a pregnant woman decided this afternoon she didn’t deserve to be executed for the crime.
Jurors returned a decision of life without parole for the 28-year-old former Jackson schoolteacher and mother of a 5-year-old son. On Tuesday, they convicted her of two counts of capital murder in the slaying of Avis Banks and her unborn child in November 2006.

Today jurors heard prosecutors tell them why she should die for the crime and defense witnesses and Hughes' attorneys pleaded for her life. The death penalty or life in prison without parole were the sentencing options.

Hughes' father wept on the witness stand this afternoon as he begged the jury not to sentence his daughter to death.

People have said she is a convicted murderer, he said. "That's not the Carla I perceive," Carl Hughes told the jury. "I beg you, I beg you to spare my daughter. I plead with you to spare my daughter."

Carl Hughes was the last of seven witnesses the defense called today in the penalty phase of the trial that has been telecast live on national TV.

Banks, who was five months pregnant, was shot, stabbed and slashed in the garage of the Ridgeland home she shared with her fiance, Keyon Pittman.

Prosecutors say Carla Hughes killed Banks so she could have Pittman. Hughes and Pittman were romantically involved while both were teachers at Chastain Middle School.

Prosecutors are arguing for the death penalty because of the nature of the crime, District Attorney Michael Guest said.

Carla Hughes' mother this morning also pleaded with the jury to spare her child’s life.

"She has so much to give," Lynda Hughes said of Carla. She and her husband adopted Carla when she was 6 weeks old.

Armed with an array of awards Carla Hughes had won, Lynda Hughes noted that her daughter has been helping inmates at the Madison County Detention Center to read while she has been incarcerated there.

The family lived in Greenville. Three years ago, Linda and Carl Hughes moved to Noxapater.

Throughout her mother’s and father’s testimony, Carla Hughes could be heard crying.

Lynda Hughes said her daughter was "always an achiever."

"I've never known Carla to ever fight back or hit someone, even when she was growing up," Lynda Hughes testified.

The prosecution called one witness — forensic pathologist Dr. Steven Hayne.

Hayne testified that Banks would have been conscious during at least two gunshot wounds fort 15 to 20 minutes, except for the last one when she was shot in the back of the head.

He testified she probably was shot in the thigh first shot, then the left buttocks, the chest and then in the head. He testified she was shot twice when she was already down.

This was one of our cases. The story and trial were carried on Court TV and a live feed on CNN. It was a long, hard trial but we came out on top. Kudos to our investigators and the D.A.'s team for pulling it off, given the little evidence they had to work with. More info on the story at the link above.

[Captain America]

Bet the victim at some point begged for her life and that of her unborn child.

[Wolven]

I bet you are right Captain.

[CTR man]

WOW, that teacher needs to get a grip. On some bars in prison. I saw that episode. Nice work guys.

[mack]

"I've never known Carla to ever fight back or hit someone, even when she was growing up," Lynda Hughes testified.



Did she just wait til she grew up to start? She should have gotten the death penalty.