Two Marion County women will serve decades in prison after pleading guilty to killing a Columbia woman in 2015 and setting two fires to cover it up.
Nettie Lewis, 26, of Columbia, and Lori Michelle Jones, 27, of Foxworth entered their pleas in Marion County Circuit Court before Judge Tony Mozingo Friday in the murder of Tarah Daniels.
Lewis will serve 40 years and Jones 30 years.
The case had originally been scheduled for trial before Judge Mozingo on Tuesday.
The murder happened at Daniels’ residence at 710 D St. in Columbia on June 13, 2015, and included a scheme to divert authorities by setting a fire elsewhere and then burning Daniels’ home.
Columbia firefighters discovered Daniels’ body after putting out the fire at her home. They had earlier cleared a blaze at 1210 Loftin St., which was later determined to be connected to the case.
Assistant District Attorney Kim Harlin said Lewis pleaded guilty to depraved heart murder and arson of a dwelling.
“She was sentenced to 40 years, the maximum penalty on the depraved heart murder with 40 years to serve and 20 years on the arson to run concurrent,” Harlin said. “Lori Jones also pleaded to depraved heart murder, and she was sentenced to 40 years with 30 years to serve and 10 years suspended on post-release supervision.”
But the time spent in prison isn’t the only penalty both will face.
“Both of the individuals were ordered to pay restitution for the funeral expenses of the victim as well as damage from the fire to the insurance company and damage from another fire that was also involved in the incident,” Harlin said.
Lewis and Jones have both been in the Marion County Jail since their arrests in 2015 and will soon be remanded to the Mississippi Department of Corrections, according to Harlin.
District Attorney Hal Kittrell said he was pleased to see the case come to a resolution.
“For Kim it was a really hard case,” he said. “It was a matter of dealing with the families and striking a balance between the co-defendants and we did that. We had a lot of input from the family. It’s our belief and hope that they were satisfied with the pleas and the sentence. I know there was a lot of interest and we appreciate all of the family working with our office as they did. Certainly we try to strike a balance and try to get justice for our families and we had a lot with that family. We appreciate their energy and their counsel with us. I hope it is something that allows them to move forward.”
Pictured Above: From left, Nettie Lewis, 26, of Columbia, and Lori Michelle Jones, 27, of Foxworth entered their pleas in Marion County Circuit Court before Judge Tony Mozingo Friday in the murder of Tarah Daniels.
