Slain child's grandmothers wait for Grand Jury decision

   Cathy Mardis traveled from Hattiesburg today in hopes of learning that two men charged with the murder of her grandson would stand trial for that offense.

    Ms. Mardis, the maternal grandmother of 6-year-old Jeremy Mardis, waited outside the courthouse with the child’s paternal grandmother, Samantha Few -- whose son, Chris Few, was seriously wounded in the barrage of shots that killed the autistic child.
    Inside the courthouse, a Grand Jury was hearing evidence to determine if Derrick Stafford and Norris Greenhouse Jr. would be indicted and stand trial for murder and attempted murder in connection with the Nov. 3 shooting that followed a traffic stop at the dead end of Martin Luther King Drive. It was hoped that a decision would be handed down today.
    “I came here for the Grand Jury,” Ms. Mardis said. “I hope they return a true bill against Stafford and Greenhouse, and I wanted to be here when they read the indictment in open court.”
    Ms. Few could not make any comments, being under a “gag order” issued by 12th Judicial District Court Judge Billy Bennett.
    Ms. Mardis said she is not a potential witness and is not prohibited from talking about the case.
    She said she wanted to see the process first-hand, as much as possible, and hopes authorities “will move toward justice in this case. I don’t want it to be candy-coated.”