The 20-year-old Jackson man charged with capital murder in the death of Vicksburg resident Franklin Salas, 52, has multiple convictions, including two sentencings since June 2009 in Warren and Rankin counties, and had been out of prison for two months before Salas was struck by a vehicle and killed.

Julius Lamont Reed Jr., whose address at the time of his sentencing in Warren County Circuit Court was 5600 Woodroad Terrace, Jackson, pleaded guilty in Warren County Circuit Court June 5, 2009, to auto theft and auto burglary.

Circuit Judge Isadore Patrick sentenced Reed to serve two years in prison, suspending five years of the total seven-year sentence. Reed was to be on supervised probation for five years after his release.

A spokesman for the Rankin County Circuit Court said Reed was sentenced there March 1 on two auto burglary charges dating to January 2008.

He was given punishment identical to his Warren County sentence — two years to serve — and the sentences were to be served concurrently.

Records show Reed was released from prison less than two months later and granted earned release supervision status on April 25, said Warren County District Attorney Ricky Smith.

Jackson Police Sgt. Michael Childress said Reed had 19 auto burglary charges on his record, not including several other charges in Hinds County, said Lt. Jeffrey Scott of the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department this morning.

Warren County records show that Reed was arrested Aug. 6, 2008, at the age of 18, on two counts of auto burglary and one count of auto theft, all occurring the previous day at the Ameristar Casino parking lot.

He was held in the Warren County Jail until Aug. 27, 2008, at which time he posted $15,000 bond but was transferred to Hinds County, where he was facing unspecified charges, said Ricky Smith. He remained incarcerated in Hinds County until April 20, 2009, when he was returned to Warren County.

Smith said the record was not clear as to why Reed was not released if he had posted bond.

He said the time Reed served in jail from his arrest until his sentencing could have figured into his early release. “It’s indicative of a problem in which we sentence individuals to prison and they are released after a very short period of that prison time on occasion,” he said. “I understand the budget arguments that MDOC is making, but this does indicate a problem with the early release of prisoners.”

Reed was assessed restitution, fines and court costs in both jurisdictions — a total of $6,296 in Warren County and $5,280.49 in Rankin County — that is supposed to be paid monthly during his five-year probationary period.

Reed was arrested in West Jackson Friday and charged with causing the death of Salas after authorities believe Salas spotted him burglarizing his vehicle in the parking lot of the Smith-Wills Stadium. Salas had been dining at the nearby Crawdad Hole Restaurant on Lakeland Drive.

As Salas came out of the restaurant to confront two men who had broken into his Ford Expedition, the men got into their own car, described as a white two-door, late-model Chevrolet Monte Carlo with chrome rims, and as they drove away, hit Salas and kept going, said Jackson police Detective Roderick Holmes.

Salas was taken to University Medical Center, where he died from head trauma, Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham-Stewart said.

His death combined with the burglary makes it a capital crime, subject to the death penalty under Mississippi law. Police were reportedly still seeking the second suspect.

Ricky Smith said state corrections officials are working on a system to standardize indictments, sentencing reports and other documents pertaining to criminal records. “It should also give all DAs access to sentencing records from other jurisdictions,” he said.