Man gives shocking reaction in court after being found not guilty of murder and sparks controversy
Joe Yates
Featured Image Credit: Hattiesburg Patriot News Media
After being found not guilty in relation of murder after being wrongly charged, an elated man's reaction hasn't gone down too well with people online.
Eddie Person of Mississippi was arrested in October 2022 in connection to the killing of John Anthony Tarvin, a volunteer coach for the Hattiesburg Parks and Recreation Department.
Known by friends and family as Jay, he was shot dead on January 3, 2020, at a home on Presley Drive in Hattiesburg.
Person had been charged with capital murder and tampering with evidence, but on May 14 of this year, a Forrest County Circuit Court jury found him not guilty on all charges.
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It came after hours of deliberation and following the news, Person - who was 26 at the time he was arrested - turned to the camera and flipped it off with both hands.
The gesture appeared to tick off his attorney and farther afield after the footage was posted to the social media website.
Taking to Facebook, where the video was posted, one user commented: "Wow just wow. If I had just been declared not guilty I would’ve been more respectful to myself and my attorney!"
While another typed: "With that attitude..... he will be back, the state will get a second bite at that apple."
And a third penned: "Hold on so he was found guilty and then not guilty I’m confused. Was this an appeal?"
To which another user explained: "His brother was found guilty and has an upcoming appeal."
Reacting to Person giving the camera the both middle fingers, another Facebook user commented: "Wow not guilty and then to turn and do that to the camera ????"
While someone else added: "Lawyer has had enough of him."
In January, Kode McNair was found guilty of Jay's murder, as well as tampering with evidence.
In November last year, the US Marshals Service detailed how McNair was arrested, just shy of five years on from Jay's death.
"Kode McNair, 25, was arrested in Memphis, Tennessee on November 6, 2024, after an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS)," it said in a statement. "McNair was wanted in Mississippi for capital murder and tampering with/fabricating evidence."
"On January 3, 2020, John Anthony 'Jay' Tarvin was shot and killed at a home on Presley Drive in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. On October 19, 2022, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Kode McNair in connection to the crime.
"On September 24, 2024, the USMS Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force (GCRFTF) in Mississippi adopted the case."
It added: "On November 6, McNair was tracked to a residence in the 6200 block of Thistlebrook in Memphis. With the assistance of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Team, the USMS surrounded the residence, and McNair was taken into custody without incident."