Pascagoula, MS: Jury convicts George County man in girlfriend’s 2009 stabbing death

By MARGARET BAKER - mbbaker@sunherald.com

PASCAGOULA -- Jonathan Havard’s mother leaned over, put her hands over her face and softly cried after she learned a jury had convicted her son in the May 28, 2009, stabbing death of Cassidy Joy Hodges.
Relatives of the slain girl sat quietly, wiping away tears as well as they learned the fate of the 35-year-old George County man a jury convicted Thursday of murder by deliberate design after an hour of deliberations.
Circuit Court Judge Dale Harkey sentenced Havard to life in prison without the possibility of parole until he’s 65 years old. “I believe the evidence ... overwhelming supports this verdict...” Harkey said.

TIM ISBELL/SUN HERALD Jonathan Havard listens to testimony at his murder trial in Jackson County.
GALLERY:Jury convicts George County man in girlfriend’s 2009 stabbing death
Havard earlier in the day took the stand in his own defense, saying he did not slash his girlfriend’s throat, severing her vocal cords and rendering her unable to speak before she slowly died. Her throat had been cut at least five times.
George County deputies found Havard and his girlfriend with stab wounds to their necks at the home the two shared with Hodges’ grandmother, Alice Huffman, on Sally Park Road in George County. Huffman had wanted the pair to move out of her home after catching Havard bringing marijuana there.
District Attorney Tony Lawrence maintained in his closing that Havard killed Hodges and then cut himself to cover up the fact that he’d committed the murder.
After the verdict was in, a member of the Hodges family said: “We’re happy with the verdict. The DA’s office did a great job.”
Lawrence said he, too, was pleased a jury was able to go through the testimony and determine that Havard, an admitted drug user, was guilty despite him testifying earlier that another man with netting over his face had committed the stabbings.
“This is another example of what drugs are doing to our society and the horrible and violent results that come from that,” Lawrence said. “Joy (Hodges) had a huge family that loved her. While we realize this doesn’t bring Joy back, it does give us some satisfaction.”
Several people, including George County sheriff’s investigators, relatives and an Alabama nurse, testified that Havard admitted after the incident that he’d cut himself after he’d slashed Hodges’ throat.
Huffman was at the home when she saw Havard and Hodges come in, go into their bedroom and shut the door. A short time later, she said she heard a thump and then saw Havard come out of the room with blood on him and head to the kitchen, where he grabbed a butcher knife. She reportedly heard Hodges crying at first and said she begged Havard not to harm her.