Hattiesburg American from Hattiesburg, Mississippi • 4

4 A Sunday, May 21, 1995 Hattiesburg AMERICAN REGIONSTATE A WEEK THAT WON'T SOON BE FORGOTTEN ra DDI kJ! LJ ju LJ LJ LJ LJ mn xIh, Homicide investigation runs up humongous bill in Perry County it i i mMx '7 jr By JANET BRASWELL AMERICAN Senior Writer NEW AUGUSTA Last week's murder investigations and the costs of subsequent trials will take a heavy toll on Perry County finances. Although expense figures are only estimates, the outlook is grim enough that state help is being sought. "I intend to ask the local legislators for assistance for Perry County," District Attorney Glenn White said. For the past week. Perry County sheriffs deputies have been working almost around the clock on the William Hatcher-Robbie Bond case.

The two Hattiesburg residents disappeared last Sunday night after driving to the Old Mahned Road Bridge near New Augusta to stargaze. While divers and trained rescue dogs were searching the Leaf River Thursday, 14-year-old David Moody told officers in Forrest County that the two had been killed and buried behind his cousin's mobile home. Their bodies were found late Thursday night and a third that of Michael James Lee, 31, of Mobile was exhumed Friday. David Moody and his 20-year-old cousin, Kenneth Moody, are charged with capital murder in the Hatcher-Bond case. Kenneth Moody and 17-year-old Richard Moody are charged with murdering Lee the night of May 10 or May 11.

"This puts a hardship on my budget," Perry County Sheriff Carlos Herring said. "We're faced with things we've never been faced with before." Herring has four full-time deputies, one part-time officer and eight volunteer, reserve deputies. His budget does not include money for overtime pay. "We're small-county law enforcement," he said. Officers pay, benefits, automobile and office expenses come from Herring's administrative budget.

The department has a separate budget for jail operation. No figure for the administrative budget was available. A recent capital murder trial in another rural Mississippi county cost $200,000, White said. Perry County could be faced with four separate capital murder trials. David Moody and Kenneth Moody each are charged with two counts of capital murder.

Although the Moodys could be tried at the same time, that is unlikely. Expenses of a capital murder trial can include: Sequestering the jury in a motel, providing their meals, David BundyHattiesburg American GRIM TASK: Perry County Sheriff Carlos Herring folds his statement announcing the discovery of the bodies of William Hatcher and Robbie Bond Friday. -w 'it -rCr. I vtw kct, llA I A -1 -X" w-'r 1 l.r iy CM her death are under investigation, he said. Neither West nor District Attorney Glenn White would discuss that investigation.

After the bodies were found near W.C. Moody's trailer, investigators searched for another day, trying to find the body of Angela Freeman. The 17-year-old Petal teen disappeared from Mahned Bridge on Sept. 10, 1993, leaving behind her car and a pair of tennis shoes. The search ended without her body being found.

"They've exhausted every lead they could find and seized every piece of evidence," District Attorney Glenn White said. Perry County Sheriff Carlos Herring was unavailable Saturday. A spokesman in his office said Herring would not be available until at least Monday. Herring and W.C. Moody were among the few Perry County residents not talking about the case Saturday.

"It's all anyone's talked about for the past two days," Big convenience store clerk Tammy Moore said. "Everyone knew they was bad news, they've always been bad news," Moore said. "But no one really knew how bad they were. And for something like that to happen in a community this small is just terrifying." Staff Writer Janet Braswell contributed to this story enough prospective jurors. "The Woodward trial is going to run several thousand dollars," supervisors president John Anderson said.

"I don't know how much these other trials will affect our budgets. We're anticipating it costing us a lot of money but I wouldn't even want to speculate what it will cost." Supervisors have budgeted $100,000 for the Woodward trial, White said. Much of the investigative work in the Hatcher-Bond-Lee cases has been done by the Mississippi Highway Patrol. Half a dozen forensic scientists from the State Crime Lab also have been involved in the recovery of bodies and search for evidence. Perry County will not have to pay for the state assistance although there will be bills from the crime lab for some forensic tests on evidence.

transportation and security. Court-appointed attorneys for the defendants. State law requires two lawyers in capital cases, i Expenses of moving the trial to another county if a change of venue motion is granted. In addition to the jury's room and board expenses, the county would have to pay for housing and meals for the judge, court staff, prosecutors, defense attorneys and witnesses. The county already faces one large court bill for the resentencing trial of Paul Woodward in September.

Convicted of the 1985 capital murder of Rhonda Crane, Woodward's death sentence was overturned by the state Supreme Court. An attempt last year to seat a jury to hear the sentencing phase again resulted in a mistrial because there were not ORUNNELSTOWN T3 RICHTON PERRY V5) NEW AUGUSTA McAlister's 1 jl Sunday Robbie leave Mahned Lisa MunschHattiesburg American CRIME SCENE: The old Mahned Bridge, a popular sightseeing spot, has been the site of two disappearance cases since May of 1992. The bridge, which is closed to traffic, was built in 1902. No peace for Moody family as sightseers flock to Mahned night: Lee Bond and William Hatcher work at McAlister's Deli in Hattiesburg to go stargazing at the Bridge in Perry County. HATTIESBURG (5) Yforrest Monday: Bond and Hatcher fail to show up for work and friends find Hatcher's abandoned truck on the Mahned bridge in Perry County.

By LANCE DAVIS AMERICAN Staff Writer MAHNED Investigators are gone from the woods near here, but W.C. Moody found little peace in their absence. With state troopers no longer guarding the dirt driveway to Moody's mobile home, sightseers were free to come gawking, hoping for a glimpse of the three graves officers found 100 yards behind the trailer. "The sheriff told us to put the tape and the 'No Trespassing" signs back up and that means no one should be here," a family member said. For Moody, the disruption near his home is just part of a four-day ordeal: His son, 20-year-old Kenneth Moody, is charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of murder.

His mother, 70-year-old Annis "Granny Crow" Moody died about 1:15 a.m. Friday. "It's just been a nightmare for all of us and it ain't easy for pop to deal with either," W.C. Moody's son-iivlaw said. "We just don't know what got into them boys." Kenneth Moody is accused of raping and killing Robbie Bond, 21, of Hattiesburg and of robbing and killing William Hatcher, 27, of Hattiesburg the night of May 14.

He also is charged with killing Michael James Lee, 31, of Mobile on May 10 or 11. David Moody, 14, is charged What's in a name? The Mahned community, located approximately 10 miles southeast of Petal in rural Perry County, Is named after its founder, Capt. Joe Denham (Denham spelled backward is Mahned). Denham, an officer in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, was sent home to Perry County after the Battle of Vicksburg to protect the women and children of his homeland. The captain originally wanted to call the settlement Denham, but discovered another community by that name In neighboring Wayne County and decided on the backwards spelling.

Today, Mahned (pronounced ma-nid), which features the now-infamous bridge, has a population of between 75-100. along with Kenneth Moody in the Bond-Hatcher murders. They could be sentenced to death. Richard Moody 17, is charged with Kenneth Moody in the Lee murder. Murder carries a life sentence.

David Moody, Richard Moody and Kenneth Moody are cousins. They have been moved from the Perry County jail and reportedly are being housed in Jones County. Annis Moody died of cardiac arrest at Forrest General Hospital, Forrest County Coroner Mike West said. The circumstances of i Mp- tt Tuesday and Wednesday: Police spend two days searching the area surrounding the bridge LJ and dragging the river for bodies. jLMahned Bridge Mahned Road Thursday: Law enforcement officers move in on a trailer in Perry County and make arrests, charging at least two Perry County men with capital murder.

Knsd SherrardHattiesburg American.