Stitts Pleads Guilty in Two Murders
This video is no longer available.
Two cold case murders in Jackson have been solved with a guilty plea by one man. Walter Stitts, 49, pleaded guilty to the murder and robbery of two men and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole, which would mean he will be eligible after serving 51 years, or after he turns 100 years old. Stitts admitted to the 1998 death of Cornelius Martez, 71, of Cedar Grove. He was found in the trunk of his car outside an east Jackson grocery store. Reports showed he had been strangled and robbed. Stitts also admitted to killing James Gruggett, 31, of Greenfield. He was found dead in a secluded area of Muse Park in September 2008 He had also been strangled and robbed. “We were able to present to him the evidence that we would show against him at trial and we used investigative techniques and we were able to solicit a confession on both murders,” said Lt. Tyreece Miller of the Jackson Police Department. “And, I think that eventually that he saw that look these guys aren’t going to go away. They’re going to keep on. They’re going to keep on keep coming at me, so I think that had a lot to do with it. So, I just think that the persistence of the investigators is really what paid off.” “Today was a day that the Martinez family has been waiting for, for almost 14 years and that the Gruggett family has been waiting for almost 4 years,” said assistant district attorney general, Jody Pickens. “So, if it makes us feel good about getting these cases some closure. It’s because of those two families. There was a lot of proof, both direct and circumstantial that indicated that he was the one responsible for these two people’s deaths, so I think that probably entered into his decision.” Stitts has been jailed since September 2010 after he was arrested in Jackson for attacking and robbing a 60-year-old man from Big Sandy in Muse Park. Stitts is also a convicted sex offender who was found guilty of rape in 1981.
