While we are no longer presenting daily information, we have committed to continuing research and highlighting story updates. Here is a summary of recent activity surrounding the case to include: Lisa Daugherty interview, FBI Bulletin, reward increase and Donald Joy article.
On Thursday evening January 15th Lisa Daugherty, Jessica’s mom, gave an interview hosted by True Crime Radio. The interview is available HERE and starts about 7 minutes into the program.
Because of the poor questioning during the interview, an interviewer seemingly unfamiliar with the case and an interview style far to concerned with the feelings of the interviewer, little can be gleaned from the interview. However, what can be extracted is more detail into the victimology profile of Jessica Chambers.
Having listed to the interview twice, here’s a summary of my notes:
One of the interesting points brought up by Lisa Daugherty surrounded the attendance of Jessica with Leah’s House. On June 2nd 2014, Jessica was arrested for “simple assault”, yet we know from a review of the court filings there was no prosecution as a result of this arrest.
We now know why.
Jessica was arrested because Lisa Daugherty, her mother, called the police on her. The simple assault charge against 19-year-old Jessica was for allegedly assaulting her mom.
In exchange for not pressing charges Lisa demanded that Jessica enter a 90-day program of on-site live-in counseling at Leah’s House, a Christian-based rehab for women. Jessica did not want to go.
According to Lisa Daugherty, Jessica went into the program, wanted out immediately and requested exit. Lisa mandated her compliance to stay and participate in the program. Jessica stayed in the program for 6 to 8 weeks, and -again according to mom- was a “changed woman” upon exit.
Lisa Daugherty is not certain of dates, however she did state specific knowledge of Jessica being in Leah’s House on July 7th, 2014. The exact entry and exit dates are unknown.
Lisa shares that upon return home Jessica was more respectful, more compliant, and “a changed woman”. Jessica began looking for a job, and found employment at Goody’s Department store in Batesville.
In addition to this information – Lisa Daugherty also shared some information about the events of the night Jessica was murdered, and details since the investigation began. The discussion in this regard is severely troubling:
♦ Lisa Daugherty claims she has not spoken to investigators since initial questioning and does not know any details of the current status of their investigation.
♦ Daugherty claims never to have watched the CCTV video from Ali’s M&M First Stop Gas Station, beyond what was in the news, and she never asked to see it.
♦ Daugherty says she doesn’t know if Jessica smoked, but assumes “she might have”.
♦ Daugherty claims not to know who Jessica was talking to at the gas station, and has never asked.
♦ Daugherty claims Jessica left the house around 5:00pm to 5:30pm with intentions to: get gas, clean car, get something to eat, purchase a pack of cigarettes for mom (mom gave her money) and return home. Jessica “got up from a chair in the living room” and went out. Wearing, PJ pants, house shoes and her hair tucked up as she grabbed her hoodie jacket and headed out. Mom gave her money and asked her to pick up a pack of cigarettes.
♦ Daugherty claims to have called Jessica at 6:48pm when they spoke for 20 minutes. The subject of the call was not explored by the interviewer, but Jessica was expected soon to return home and no concerning issues were noted by mom during exchange: “she was going to grab something to eat and come home to clean her room – I love you mom” was her final exchange.
♦ Daugherty states she does not know who called 911, and has never asked.
♦ Daugherty states she is familiar with, but not knowledgeable of, Charlotte Wilkerson. According to Charlotte Wilkerson, aka “Auntie Sha-Sha” she and Jessica were very close.
♦ Daugherty states Charlotte Wilkerson lives two doors away. Daugherty also claims she has never spoken with Charlotte Wilkerson since the night of the murder. Daugherty further states she does not know Charlotte Wilkerson’s phone number and has made no effort to contact.
♦ Daugherty states some kind of a flammable accelerant was used in the attack to burn Jessica, but she is unfamiliar with what type – she has never asked investigators.
♦ Daugherty states Jessica communicated -in some form- to the life flight helicopter medics who where transporting Jessica from Herron Road to Memphis Regional Medical Center (burn unit). Daugherty states Jessica was intubated and non-communicative during her interaction upon arrival at the hospital.
♦ Daugherty states she has no idea what was communicated in the helicopter, and has never asked investigators.
♦ Daugherty states she was initially questioned extensively by investigators, however since that initial questioning she has had no contact with the law enforcement authorities, nor has she received any updates. Nor has she inquired of them. Daugherty states (on Day #40 from the event) she holds no knowledge of who is leading the investigation.
What becomes evident when you listen to the interview is Lisa Daugherty’s disconnect from the actual life of Jessica. However, while this disconnect is odd, it actually aids in clearing up much of the confusion within the victimology profile of Jessica. In addition this disconnect explains many of the strange behaviors since December 7th, 2014.
It is unknown if Lisa Daugherty/Chambers holds a job. It does not appear she was employed before or after the events surrounding the death of Jessica. Lisa Daugherty’s current daily activity involves two very close people, “A.J” who is Jessica’s half sister from Texas; and a young lady named “Heather” who claims to been a “friend of Jessica” but is easily identified as less friend, and more of a “post murder drama moth” drawn toward the flame of local events and the importance/excitement.
The relationship picture (as it presents itself) is a semi-typical mother daughter relationship, yet a dysfunctional multi-marriage family structure, where Jessica is the only child from a middle marriage between her father Ben Chambers and her mother Lisa Daugherty.
Given the nature of their relationship, as the days progress it becomes increasingly obvious much of what Lisa might say about Jessica’s daily activity and lifestyle is essentially a guess.
Understanding this disconnected dynamic is important.
Nothing in their historical or more recent communication would suggest that Jessica was being open and honest with her mom. This, apparently, is where Charlotte Wilkerson comes in as “Auntie Sha-Sha” the emotional and day-to-day non-judgmental confidant.
The fact is – that after 40 days Lisa Daugherty has never once tried to talk to Charlotte Wilkerson, nor does she know how to contact her. This reflects a stark example of how disconnected Mom was from the life of her 19-year-old daughter, Jessica.
Lisa’s seeming lack of interest into the circumstances of the investigation itself, and yet the heavy interest in the opinions of herself -along with the financial emphasis of raising money through Jessica’s death- is yet another stark example.
The three most visible recent interviews with Lisa Daugherty all revolve around Lisa protecting her own image; yet in doing so she projects clarity of the disconnect to Jessica.
Into this odd and disconnected world of self-interest you find young “A.J.” (1/2 sister) and young “Heather” (friend?) acting as handmaidens in the fundraising and carrying the responsibility of maintaining a more graft-friendly victim profile.
Yesterday the first payments from the first of several Go-Fund-Me accounts was paid. $19,127.73 was paid out of one fund with Ben Chambers and Lisa Daugherty each receiving half.
Several more financial accounts remain active and T-Shirts, Decals, Coffee Mugs and various Justice for Jessica death swag are available for purchase on Facebook pages so that supporters can continue to direct money to the beneficiaries.
The problem the financial interests present for investigative inquiry arise when you have family members with a vested interest in maintaining a false victim profile against the backdrop of investigators trying to assemble Jessica’s factual activity in a search for suspects.
The current reward fund is at $43,000 with the FBI recently adding $25,000 as the FBI increases the scope of their “parallel investigation” into the details of Jessica Lane Chambers murder.
For more details on the specific aspects of the FBI interest you might find Donald Joy’s recent article at Clash Daily enlightening.
[…] Just before her death, Jessica had appeared to be working toward ending abusive relationships and turning her troubled young life around, partly through a 6-8 week stay at an intensive Christian women’s discipleship program at a place called Leah’s House. While there, she hand-wrote an ebullient letter full of cheerful flourishes to her niece, expressing love, optimism, and excitement about the future, writing “I know I messed up in the past but it’s going to be so much better!” After leaving Leah’s House, she started working a part-time job at Goody’s, a local chain retail store.
Still, some ominous darkness followed her. Recently Pastor Michael Green spoke directly with certain people who had been close to Jessica before her death, including her mother, Lisa Daugherty. Green obtained express permission from Daugherty to share with me, for this article, that Jessica had been worried, very worried, that local female gang members suspected her of betrayal. In the week before her death, terrified of being harmed by them, Jessica twice told her mother, “the bitches think I’m snitching.”
Pastor Green says another person whom Jessica trusted (and with whom Jessica discussed having been gang-raped) also told him that about three months ago, Jessica was showing severe emotional distress, and expressed fear that certain people might be planning to kill her. A week before she died, in a maudlin and fearful moment, she made a point of telling/playing for her mother the song she wanted to be played at her funeral.
Those following the case over these weeks, with interest in seeing justice done, have been frustrated by the appalling bungling(or deliberate abandonment) of the most basic police procedures in failing to secure crucial, initial crime scene evidence in the aftermath of the event, by indications of gang-land corruption permeating the area of jurisdiction, and by lack of any arrests nor appearance of any real urgency on the part of the authorities in Panola County. There is a near-total dearth of information released to the public by Sheriff Dennis Darby and District Attorney John Champion(partly due to relevant Mississippi state law), along with some troubling official conduct about which I’ve previously written.
Adding to the frustration is the relative lack of attention by the mainstream media, when compared to the nationwide hysteria and outrage generated by the frenzied reporting on certain other cases — such as when criminal black teenagers justifiably meet with deadly results for themselves when they attempt to murder or threaten to murder non-black men who dare watch or confront them.
Despite a recent public pledge by the governor of Mississippi to use all available resources to help solve the Jessica Chambers mystery and bring justice to the guilty party, and despite the FBI newly announcing a reward of $43,000 for information which will help crack the case, some observers insist that a deliberate, politically-motivated cover-up is afoot, given the usual known priorities of the media and associated powers at various levels to push only a particular racial narrative and agenda.
Things may change in due order, however. Earlier this month, I received confidential messages from a trusted, leading source in the alternative media about an alleged eyewitness who, despite being “beyond petrified,” had contacted him with extremely compelling revelations. I now have received permission from that source to include the information here. (read more)
Link to Lisa Daugherty Radio Interview
Link To FBI Bulletin
