In the quiet town of Carthage, Mississippi, a domestic dispute escalated into a tragedy that claimed the life of 41-year-old Leslie Lynn Stewart. On the morning of January 27, 2018, Leake County deputies responded to a call about a shooting at a residence on Midway Road. Upon their arrival, they discovered Leslie, a White/Caucasian female, unresponsive on the floor.
Emergency medical services were unable to find a pulse, and she was pronounced dead at the scene by the county coroner.
The subsequent investigation led to the immediate arrest of Leslie's husband, 40-year-old Bill Stewart. He was taken into custody and charged with the murder of his wife. In his statement to the authorities, Bill Stewart claimed that he had acted in self-defense. He alleged that Leslie had attempted to stab him with a knife, which prompted him to shoot her. Investigators recovered both a knife and a handgun from the home.
Following his arrest, Bill Stewart was transported to the Leake County Correctional Facility. The case then moved into the legal system, where the details of the domestic dispute and the validity of his self-defense claim would be scrutinized. The incident left the community to grapple with the devastating consequences of domestic violence.
