By By Marianne Todd/The Meridian Star
Jan. 19, 2001
A trial date has been set for March 5 in the federal murder trial of rural postal carrier Brenda Rogers.
The two men accused in the Oct. 3 shooting death, Michael D. Sims and Thaddeus Brown, were indicted for murder and carjacking last week by a federal grand jury.
Brown made his preliminary appearance in federal court in Jackson on Wednesday. Sims' preliminary hearing will be scheduled as soon as his attorney, Jackson attorney Gary Silverman, recovers from the flu, said U.S. Postal Inspector Guy Robinson.
The trial is expected to take place in Meridian. Continuances are also expected.
Both men were arrested on federal charges several weeks ago after the U.S. Postal Service filed a complaint. Both Brown and Sims, who had been held in the Kemper-Neshoba Regional Correctional Facility on state charges of capital murder, were moved to a federal holding facility at that time, Robinson said.
Sims was taken into custody by local and federal authorities less than 24 hours after Rogers' body was discovered in a small home in rural Kemper County that he and Brown allegedly burglarized. Brown was charged several days later. Officials said they believe the motive for the killing was to obtain gasoline after Sims and Brown allegedly burglarized the home then ran out of gas.
Marianne Todd is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail her at mtodd@themeridianstar.com.