[11/08/02]Forensic evidence that could further the investigations into the deaths of two local men may take days or even weeks to be complete.

Maj. Marvin Curtis, head of the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol’s criminal investigation division, said interviews of about 50 witnesses from the Oct. 26 shooting of Jimmie Taylor, 22, are nearly complete, but investigators are waiting for forensic testing that could show if Taylor was handcuffed when he was shot by a Warren County deputy sheriff.

Separately, the Vicksburg Police Department is awaiting results of tests on forensic evidence to help determine the facts in the death of Willie James Horton, 47, who died Sunday in his home on Locust Street.

Mississippi Crime Lab Director Ken Winter said results of tests could take up to three weeks to be reported depending on the case and type of death. Winter said the turnaround time also depends on whether the case is one that requires information that is in backlog.

“Firearm analysis is so time-consuming, there is a backlog on those investigations,” Winter said.

He would not speak specifically about either investigation, but state investigators have confirmed that they are waiting for tests on Taylor’s wrists looking for traces of metal. Witnesses to the shooting at 4808 Halls Ferry Road said Taylor had been handcuffed by Warren County Deputy Lionel Johnson before being shot once. Taylor died less than 24 hours later at River Region Medical Center from internal bleeding.

Johnson has disputed claims that he handcuffed Taylor and contends that he was physically attacked by family members and was choked by Taylor. The six-year law enforcement officer is on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of the investigation.

“We’ve got to get the whole, big picture…before we can come to a final conclusion,” Curtis said.

Vicksburg Police Chief Tommy Moffett would not confirm that evidence from the house at 616 1/2 Locust St., where Horton was found dead Monday, has been sent to the crime lab, but he did say investigators are waiting for forensic tests to come back.

“We have gathered evidence and are processing the scene,” Moffett said Thursday.

An autopsy showed Horton died early Sunday from heart failure resulting from blunt force trauma to the face.

Larry “Chopper” Ellis, 48, no address available, who escaped from the Mississippi Department of Corrections in Issaquena County last week, was captured near Horton’s home Tuesday and is being questioned in the killing, Moffett has said.

Ellis made his initial court appearance Wednesday on charges of auto theft.

“Obviously we questioned Ellis in the homicide, but it is still under investigation,” Moffett said. “We do not know who killed Mr. Horton.”

Horton was a throat cancer patient who was unable to speak without using a voice synthesizer.

Exactly what type of information the Vicksburg Police Department is awaiting from the crime lab was not revealed by the department or crime lab officials. Winter said communication with the agency is also very important on fast turnarounds.

“A time concern also depends on what exactly the agency is asking us to do,” Winter said. “Exactly what do they want us to look for.”

Winter said it would be much faster for agencies to have a local crime lab but usually this is not a possibility. A previous Warren County grand jury, in a report at the end of its term, recommended that local authorities put together a crime lab in Vicksburg limited to drug evidence.

“Most places can’t afford a crime lab,” Winter said.