Crime
Brooks Indicted in Former State Rep.’s Death
A grand jury has indicted Billy Brooks for the June 13, 2021 murder of former State Rep. Ashley Henley.
The murder indictment came during the grand jury session in Water Valley on June 30.
Brooks was taken into custody by the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department and booked in the Yalobusha County Detention Center on Tuesday evening.
According to the North Mississippi Herald, Brooks was previously indicted for arson in the Dec. 26, 2020 fire at a mobile home at 12 Pat Drive. Kristina Michelle Jones was discovered dead inside the home after firefighters extinguished the blaze. Her death has not been ruled a homicide.
Henley, the sister-in-law of Jones, was outside the burned-out residence six months later cutting the grass when she was gunned down, shot in the head.
Henley served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from the 40th district from 2016 to 2020.
Multiple law enforcement agencies including the Yalobusha County Sheriff’s Department and Mississippi Bureau of Investigation are involved in the ongoing investigation.
According to local news reports, Brooks was given a $250,000 bond and has since bonded out.
Read the Herald’s full story and view the indictment here.
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