An Ellisville man who stabbed a man in Petal and stole his truck more than two years ago has been sentenced to 40 years in prison, with 20 of those years to be served day-for-day in the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
Lin Carter, who serves as district attorney for Forrest and Perry counties, recently announced that on November 22, circuit court judge Bob Helfrich gave Leon Jesse Trevino 20 years for one count of aggravated assault, 10 years for automobile theft and 10 years for being a felon in possession of a weapon. The sentences will be served concurrently with each other.
Carter said the stabling incident occurred on August 4, 2020, at 1266 Morriston Road in Petal. After receiving a call regarding a man being stabbed, deputies from the Forrest County Sheriff’s Department arrived on the scene to find Christopher Ingram suffering from multiple stab wounds.
During the subsequent investigation, police found out that prior to the incident, Trevino and Ingram had been arguing over a truck. Trevino hit Ingram in the head with a glass bottle, then unsheathed a knife and repeatedly stabbed Ingram in the upper body.
Trevino then stole Ingram’s truck and fled the scene. The truck was found a few days later in Laurel; Trevino was apprehended at a nearby house.
Ingram was taken to a local hospital for surgery.
Trevino was indicted by a Forrest County grand jury on the three aforementioned charges, and during a trial on September 28, he was found guilty by a jury on all counts. During Trevino’s sentencing hearing, it was determined that he had three previous convictions: burglary in Jones County Circuit Court, felony DUI in Jones County Circuit Court and being a felon in possession of a firearm in Covington County Circuit Court.
Because of that, Helfrich’s sentence was pursuant to the Habitual Offender statute.
“There was no excuse to pull a knife and continually stab Mr. Ingram,” Carter said in a statement. “It was not a case of self-defense and there was no justification for such a vicious attack.
“This is not how we resolve a disagreement with someone. I want to commend the Forrest County Sheriff’s Department on an outstanding job with the investigation and the quick resolution.”
