Kristina Jenkins, a woman from Pearl, Mississippi, was killed on September 10, 2026, in a shooting that Pearl police described as an apparent murder and attempted suicide. Officers were dispatched at approximately 12:04 p.m. after a 911 call sent them to the 2100 block of Vera Street. When officers reached the property, they found Jenkins unresponsive and pronounced her dead at the scene.
A man was found in the front yard suffering from two gunshot wounds to the head and was rushed to a local hospital for treatment. Investigators recovered a handgun from the scene.
Police later identified the injured man as Michael Harrell of Pearl and accused him of killing Jenkins. Pearl Mayor Jake Windham said Jenkins and Harrell had been in an ongoing relationship. Authorities characterized what happened as an apparent murder followed by an attempted suicide, with Harrell surviving his injuries and becoming the suspect in Jenkins's death. Publicly released information has not detailed what occurred immediately before the gunfire or identified a specific motive for the killing.
Pearl Police Chief Nick McLendon said Harrell was arrested in connection with the killing on the day of the incident. Because of his injuries, however, he remained hospitalized before being taken to jail on September 14. He was subsequently held without bond and transferred into Rankin County custody for a preliminary hearing.
There is a discrepancy in published accounts concerning the precise murder charge filed against Harrell. WLBT reported, citing the police chief, that Harrell was charged with first-degree murder, which was also the charge police initially announced on the day Jenkins was killed. A later WJTV report stated that Harrell was being held at the Rankin County Detention Center on a capital murder charge. The available reporting therefore indicates that Harrell remained jailed and facing a murder prosecution, although the public accounts differ on whether the formal charge was first-degree murder or capital murder.
As of the latest publicly available reporting, the case remained in its early court stages. No trial, guilty plea, or conviction had been reported, and investigators had not publicly announced any additional suspects or arrests in connection with Jenkins's death. Harrell remained the person accused in the killing while the case proceeded through Rankin County.
