Talisha Butler is home, free on bond

Wednesday afternoon, Talisha Butler shot the father of her child in the middle of a parking lot in front of witnesses. She left the scene and called 911 to say she had shot Christopher Johnson.

The area quickly filled with people. Onlookers, police, firefighters and medics took up every available space, and traffic on Clay Street slowed because of the congestion.

In the parking lot behind Boston Fish Market lay Johnson’s body. He had bled out and first responders could do little beyond verifying that his heart had stopped. His body lay as if he had fallen out of the gray sedan he’d been sitting in. It was partially on the pavement and he was covered in a white sheet. His legs were shaded by the open door of the car. One foot was exposed showing a bright orange shoe.

Sache Milan Johnson and Talisha Butler. (Photo courtesy Latrika Butler)

Butler turned herself in at the Vicksburg Police Department after a conversation with Police Chief Milton Moore. She began this journey with the justice system being booked and processed.

Thursday at 1 p.m. Butler went before Vicksburg Municipal Judge Angela Carpenter. Butler’s mother and Johnson’s mother walked in together, and they sat next to each other.

Attorney Mike Bonner represented Butler in her legal fight. Thursday’s hearing was to formally charge Butler and set her bond. She was shaking and sobbing, her head dropped to her chest, and she seemed barely able to breathe. Her mother leaned forward several times trying to catch her daughter’s eye, maybe just to offer a comforting look. Johnson’s mom had a distant look — her world had been turned upside down.

Mikhyd Sylvester and Eric Sylvester Jr. with their mother Talisha Butler. (Photo courtesy Latrika Butler)

The charge was murder in the first degree, and Carpenter set her bond at $500,000. Butler’s head dropped even farther when Carpenter announced the amount. To be home until trial meant coming up with $50,000 in cash.

While writing this story, the news broke that Butler’s bond had been reduced to $50,000 by Warren County Judge Marcie Southerland. There were no objections from District Attorney Ricky Smith. That is an extremely rare event, and it happened unusually fast.

“There are mitigating factors,” Smith said, “and she also has a 1-year-old at home.” Butler is the mother of three, two boys and a baby girl.

With that extraordinary development, Butler had to raise $5,000 instead of the $50,000 she needed just a couple of hours earlier. She was home by 1:30 p.m. Friday.

Talisha Butler and Paige Marie Moore. (Photo courtesy Latrika Butler)

Paige Marie Moore has known Butler— or “Tuh” as she calls her — for years. They would often go out together along with their mutual friend Blair Thornton. When Moore heard about the shooting and Johnson’s death, she wanted to help.

Moore set up a Go Fund Me account to help her friend raise money for bail and legal expenses.

“This is not how she wanted it to go,” Moore wrote. “She has made several attempts to contact the authorities, and handle it the civil way. Not only is she facing serious jail time, but she will also live with this for the rest of her life. She will have to look at her baby, and explain to her one day how and why this happened. No one should ever have to be in this situation.”

“Tuh has always been one who would give the shirt off her back, make you laugh, and help anyone who needed it,” she added. “I ask that you please make a donation to help bring her home to her children and help them through this long battle ahead. They have been through so much, and this is only the beginning. Also, prayers! We can’t get enough of them at this time. We thank you all in advance, God bless.”