Alpine man arrested in Whitt murder case

Union County Sheriff Jimmy Edwards announced Friday afternoon that an Alpine resident has been arrested and charged with the murder of Sheree Whitt, 47, also of the Alpine community.

“Raymond Louie Pannell, 55, was charged with one count of murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon,” he said. The charge may be capital murder because of the accompanying crime.

The sheriff said his office received a call at 11:26 a.m. this past Friday, May 22, that a possible victim was at 1144 County Road 225 in the Alpine community. A friend of the deceased had come to visit and discovered her body lying in the driveway, apparent victim of a gunshot wound.

The victim had been shot once in the upper chest.

Sheriff Edwards talking about the arrest

Edwards said he immediately notified the medical examiner-investigator along with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and State Crime Lab.

After extensive investigation in the area, Edwards said his department served a search warrant Thursday night at 1680 County Road 171 and took Pannell into custody at his residence there.

Edwards said Pannell possibly thought the victim had taken some property of his and that may have been the motive for the shooting. He said the two were acquainted but not close and Pannell lived, probably within two miles of Whitt.

The sheriff said suspicion fell on Pannell partly because of his prior record and that he was currently on probation. He said other evidence, that he did not share, came to light to make the case stronger and helped lead to the search warrant.

“We found other evidence that we believe was valuable to the case,” he added.

Edwards said Pannell was cooperative and they believe they have found the murder weapon, although it was not at Pannell’s residence.

Justice Court Judge David Garrison set Pannell’s bond at $1 million for the murder charge and $10,000 for the weapon charge.

However, Edwards said that the Mississippi Department of Corrections had issued a warrant for Pannell for probation violation and Union County deputies had picked Pannell up in February charging him with possession of methamphetamine and felony fleeing. Circumstances allowed his earlier bond to be revoked. The sheriff also said he thinks Pannell has prior charges in Prentiss County.

“It should be very difficult for him to get out of jail,” the sheriff said.

Edwards said Whitt lived alone and added that they believe no one else was involved in the crime.

“We don’t like to have unsolved crimes in this county, particularly something this serious,” Edwards said.