Vernell Miskell pleads guilty to accessory charge

Lici Beveridge
Engagement Editor

One of three men charged in the 2014 murder of 20-year-old Johnnie Cooper of Hattiesburg pleaded guilty last week to a lesser charge in 12th District Circuit Court.

Vernell Daven Miskell

Vernell Daven Miskell, 23, initially charged with first-degree murder, pleaded guilty Sept. 8 to accessory after the fact of murder. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine when sentenced.

Court documents show Vernell Miskell says he helped dispose of the murder weapon.

Vernell Miskell is currently serving a 20-year sentence with the Mississippi Department of Corrections for an unrelated aggravated assault.

The Forrest-Perry District Attorney's office recommended a 10-year sentence with five to serve concurrently with the aggravated assault sentence. In exchange for his plea, the district attorney plans to dismiss the murder charge.

If Vernell Miskell is convicted of any other felony, he could face life in prison without the possibility of parole as a habitual offender. In addition to the aggravated assault and accessory charges, Vernell Miskell also was convicted of three drug- and firearm-related charges in Louisiana.

Two other men, V'Nell L. Miskell and Pedro Barbon Alvarez, also face first-degree murder and conspiracy charges for Cooper's death. His body was found the morning of Sept. 11, 2014, in a drainage ditch at Timberton Softball Complex on Helveston Road.

V'Nell Miskell also was charged with automobile burglary. All three were indicted in December by a grand jury. They originally were scheduled to stand trial together.

A fourth suspect, Asia Nikera Craft, was charged with conspiracy and accessory after the fact of murder. The status of her indictment is unclear.

V’Nell Miskell's trial is set for Sept. 27. Alvarez will stand trial Nov. 29.

Cooper's was the ninth homicide in Hattiesburg that year. His family told police they had not heard from him since the night before his body was found.

V'Nell Miskell remains in Forrest County Jail. Alvarez was released on bond in February. His bond was set at $75,000 each for the murder and conspiracy charges. Craft was released on $25,000 bond in January.