State ranks fifth in homicides attributed to domestic assaults
Kathleen Baydala
kbaydala@clarionledger.com
Tammy Leverett is spending her second weekend in the hospital recovering from stab wounds after being attacked outside a Greenwood home by her former boyfriend.
While she was unable to fend off the assault, witnesses intervened and killed her assailant.
Greenwood Police Chief Henry Purnell said officers received a 911 call on the afternoon of Oct. 1, reporting a stabbing at Walnut Circle.
"When the officers arrived, they observed the victim (Leverett) lying in the street at the corner," he said. "Then, they observed Johnny Garrett lying in a ditch, face down, also at the corner."
Investigators say they believe Johnny Howard Garrett, 46, repeatedly stabbed Leverett with a long-bladed knife, which a group of people wrestled away and turned against him. Garrett also was beaten with a metal object.
Police have not identified who was in the group and no charges have been filed, but the case is going to a Leflore County grand jury as a matter of protocol. Purnell said he believes the group's actions were akin to "self-defense."
"In a case like this, he was attacking her and people came to her rescue and in so doing, he was seriously injured," Purnell said.
More than 2,000 women and children and three men in the state sought shelter from domestic violence last year, according to the state Department of Health.
"Mississippi ranks fifth in the nation for domestic violence murders," said Betty Spencer, a social worker with the Mississippi STOP Domestic Violence Project.
According to the statistics, for every 100,000 Mississippi women, two die each year from violence at home.
The Mississippi STOP Domestic Violence Project opened a 24-hour, toll-free hot line in June to provide legal assistance to victims of domestic violence statewide and help them find resources, such as shelters.
During its first three months, calls jumped from 39 to 110, and there are almost 100 active cases on file.
"A lot of the time, the big question is, 'Why doesn't she just leave,' " Spencer said referring to the victim. "The reasons are as many as there are women, but the main one is economical. A lot of victims don't know what to do. Generally, people think it costs money to get a protection order."
Purnell would not comment on what spurred the attack on Leverett but mentioned that Garrett was cited earlier that day for two incidents of "telephone profanity." Purnell would not say whom Garrett had called or why.
While the chief said he doesn't know of any other recent reports of domestic violence involving Leverett or Garrett, Garrett has a record of violent crime.
He was convicted in 1995 of rape, aggravated assault and kidnapping in Leflore County and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. The Mississippi Department of Corrections released Garrett in April 2009.
He also was convicted of burglary in Leflore County in 1986 and received a three-year prison sentence.
Timothy Jones, assistant district attorney in Leflore County, said domestic violence cases often pose unique challenges for prosecutors.
"The difficulty is that it's probably not the first time it has happened," he said. So, there are undocumented cases.
"And a lot of times when we get a case, the victim may not want to go forward because they are embarrassed or because they have children and don't want to put Daddy in jail," he said.
But the longer the abuse goes on, the more likely it is to become deadly, victims' advocates say.
"This is why it's our duty as law enforcement to go forward with cases and speak up for victims who can't speak for themselves," Jones said. "The abuse will go on for a long period, and the victim might become used to it until finally it develops into a more serious assault."
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