IUKA, Mississippi — Veronica Gillespie was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty April 8 to attempted murder in connection with an Aug. 26, 2023, incident in Prentiss County, the First Circuit Court district attorney’s office said.
Circuit Court Judge Kelly Mims accepted the guilty pleas and sentenced Gillespie to 40 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections on the attempted murder charge, with 10 years suspended, leaving 30 years to serve.
Gillespie also pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault for an incident on Nov. 8, 2022. She was sentenced to 20 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections on that charge, with all 20 years suspended. Prosecutors said that sentence will run consecutive to the attempted murder sentence.
District Attorney Jason D. Herring recognized Booneville Police Department Detective Karl Courtney for his work on the investigations. The cases were prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Joel Baldwin and Reagan Wise on behalf of the state. The Mississippi Department of Corrections is the state agency that operates the prison system. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
