Ex-U.S. attorney says no deal was offered to witness
Former Southern District U.S. attorney Dunn Lampton has been subpoenaed in a Hinds County murder case in which the defense is challenging whether a deal was offered to get key prosecution testimony.
Lampton, who retired in January, said last week he would testify without a subpoena and no deal was offered to anyone in the case because he didn’t have the authority to do so.
Lampton and one of his then-assistants successfully prosecuted Albert Lee Thomas Jr. for the Hinds County district attorney’s office.
Thomas, convicted in 2004 of killing Johnny Hampton, 33, on Aug. 24, 2002, is appealing.
The Mississippi Court of Appeals recently sent the case back to Hinds County Circuit Court to conduct a hearing on whether a deal was offered to the mother of a key witness against Thomas.
The Court of Appeals said the hearing should strictly deal with whether the woman had any understanding of a deal.
Circuit Judge Tomie Green recently ordered the subpoena for Lampton and had set a March 30 hearing date, but neither the woman nor anyone who prosecuted the case appeared.
Green reset the hearing for 2 p.m. Monday.
Clarion-Ledger 4/5/9
Magnolia Tribune
