Mayfield Files: Interview with Kentucky Innocence Project attorney Miranda Hellman

Unforbidden Truth

On April 8, 2008, Quincy Omar Cross was convicted in Hickman County, Kentucky, of multiple serious charges including kidnapping (with an aggravator of murder), intentional murder (with aggravators of first-degree sodomy and first-degree rape), first-degree sodomy, first-degree rape, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with physical evidence. For these offenses, Quincy was sentenced to life imprisonment without the benefit of probation or parole for capital kidnapping and capital murder. He also received life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for first-degree rape, fifty years for first-degree sodomy, five years for abuse of a corpse, and three years for tampering with physical evidence.
The victim, 18-year-old Jessica Currin, was murdered sometime between July 29, 2000, and August 1, 2000. On the morning of August 1, Jessica’s body was discovered behind Mayfield Middle School in Mayfield, Kentucky. Dr. Mark LeVaughn, the medical examiner, initially determined that Jessica had died from strangulation and blunt head trauma. However, under cross-examination, Dr. LeVaughn admitted there was no evidence of strangulation, bruising, scratching, or sexual assault. He based his initial conclusion on the presence of a belt found near Jessica’s body. A subsequent autopsy by Dr. George Nichols could not determine the cause of Jessica's death, leaving the circumstances of her death unresolved. In February 2001, Jeremy Adams and Carlos Saxton were charged with murder and related offenses in connection with Jessica Currin’s case. However, by February 2003, these charges were dismissed due to discovery violations and missing evidence, which never reappeared during Quincy’s trial.
Three witnesses—Victoria Caldwell, Vanisha Stubblefield, and Rosie Crice—testified against Quincy and his co-defendants. Victoria and Vanisha had initially identified Jeremy Adams and Carlos Saxton as the perpetrators shortly after Jessica’s body was found. However, their testimonies changed significantly over time, influenced by Susan Galbreath (a self-appointed investigator), the Mayfield Police Department, Kentucky State Police, and the Kentucky Bureau of Investigation. Their stories varied with each interview and when they testified in 2008. Rosie Crice, who had been coerced by law enforcement into providing false testimony, later recanted her statements in 2008 and was subsequently charged with perjury, serving five years in prison. Since the 2008 trial, all three witnesses have recanted their testimonies, stating that they lied and that Quincy Cross was not involved in the murder. Two of the girls have signed affidavits claiming they were paid for their testimonies and threatened by KBI Investigators.
Quincy had two co-defendants, Tamara Caldwell and Jeffrey Burton. Quincy met Tamara in 2002 while he was in jail, through her brother, but did not know her at the time of the murder. He had only seen Jeffrey Burton once, at his trial, and had no prior acquaintance with him. Joe Currin, Jessica’s father, maintains that Quincy is innocent of his daughter’s murder and is committed to uncovering the truth about what happened.
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