WEST POINT, Miss.: A Mississippi man pleaded not guilty Monday to killing six people — including a 7-year-old girl — during a rampage through a rural area in the northeastern part of the state.
At a court hearing in Clay County, Daricka M. Moore entered not guilty pleas to 11 charges including capital murder, first-degree murder, attempted murder of a child, attempted sexual battery, burglary and theft of a motor vehicle, WTVA-TV reported. Because Moore was charged with capital murder, he is ineligible for bail under state law. Clay County Circuit Judge Jim Kitchens ordered a mental evaluation for Moore.
Kitchens appointed Clarissa Harris as Moore’s defense lawyer. Harris didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment Monday.
Assistant District Attorney Trina Davidson-Brooks said first-degree murder charges are expected to be upgraded to capital murder, The Dispatch of Columbus reported, and District Attorney Scott Colom intends to seek the death penalty.
A trial date has not been set.
Moore, 24, is accused of killing his father, brother, uncle, 7-year-old cousin, a church pastor and the pastor’s brother at three locations late Friday. He was arrested at a police roadblock in Cedarbluff just before midnight after dozens of local, state and federal officers flooded the area.
Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott said at a Saturday news conference that evidence and witnesses indicate that Moore was the only shooter. No other injuries were reported. Authorities haven’t indicated why they believe Moore would have committed the shooting.
Investigators believe Moore first killed his father, 67-year-old Glenn Moore; his brother, 33-year-old Quinten Moore; and his uncle, 55-year-old Willie Ed Guines, at the family’s mobile home.
The sheriff said Moore then allegedly stole his brother’s truck and drove a few miles (kilometers) to a cousin’s house, where he forced his way in and attempted to commit sexual battery. Scott said Moore then put a gun to the head of a 7-year-old girl and fatally shot her. Family members identified the girl as Mikylia Guines.
Scott said that according to witnesses, Moore then placed a gun against a younger child’s head, but she was not shot. It was not clear whether he did not pull the trigger or the gun misfired.
Moore then allegedly drove to a small white frame church, the Apostolic Church of The Lord Jesus. There, Scott said, he broke into a residence, killed the pastor and his brother and stole one of their vehicles.
Scott said the last two victims, the Rev. Barry Bradley and Samuel Bradley, lived most of the time in nearby Columbus but spent weekends on church grounds. Some Moore family members attend the church, Scott said.
Edith Watkins Bradshaw, a cousin of the Moore family, told The Dispatch that the family has been sustained by prayer and closeness.
“Where there’s unity, there’s power (and) there’s love,” Bradshaw said after the hearing. “… No matter what, we’re family. Even Daricka, he’s still our family. He’s still a human being. We still got to love him too, and we know that love will get us through.”
“Our family will never be the same, but we’re going to be stronger because of this,” said Rene Guines McMillian, another cousin of Daricka Moore.