Published: November 03, 2009 11:56 pm      

Murder arrests made

Meridian Police said three Meridian men are currently being held in the Lauderdale County Jail after being formally charged Tuesday with the shooting deaths of two men over the weekend.

MPD Capt. James Sharpe, commander of the department's Criminal Investigation Division, said two of the men, Ricky Deshun Thomas, 26, and Fredrick Moore, 32, have been charged with capital murder and armed robbery in Friday morning's incident in which Jerome Hearn was allegedly shot and killed. Sharpe said Hearn's body was discovered in his parked car at a vacant home in the 2300 block of 25th Avenue in Meridian. Capital murder carries no bond. The two men were placed on $1 million bond for the armed robbery charges.

"Through the investigation it was learned that this incident was initially supposed to be a drug transaction between the parties involved," Sharpe said in a press release Tuesday afternoon.

Ernest Robinson Mosley Jr., 37, is accused of shooting to death 27-year old Stanley Mason early Saturday morning at the Highway Village Housing Complex located at 506 Front Street Extension, according to Sharpe. Mosley was charged with murder. Sharpe said Mosley's initial bond was set at $250,000 but after a preliminary hearing was conducted, Mosley's bond was reduced to $40,000. Mosley is currently being held in the Lauderdale County Jail awaiting further legal and/or bonding actions.

Sharpe said regarding information obtained during the investigation, detectives believe this incident stemmed from an argument between Mosley and Mason prior to the shooting.

"We still have no hard evidence to suggest these two incidents are connected in any way," said Sharpe. "As far as we can ascertain at this time it was just coincidence they happened in the time frame that they did."

But Sharpe also made it clear the investigations into these two cases is ongoing.

Both cases will be presented to the March 2010 session of the Lauderdale County grand jury.