The Kristi Fulgham case is a Mississippi capital murder prosecution arising from the May 2003 shooting death of Joey Fulgham, who was killed by a single .22 caliber bullet to the back of the head while he slept in the couple’s home near Starkville. Kristi Fulgham, his estranged wife, was convicted of capital murder in 2006 and sentenced to death. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed her conviction but threw out the death sentence in 2010, and she was resentenced that November to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The case became widely known because her 13-year-old half-brother, Tyler Edmonds, was also convicted of the same killing based on a confession he later said Kristi had coerced from him. He was acquitted at a 2008 retrial.
The Killing of Joey Fulgham
Joey Fulgham worked at a car dealership and lived with Kristi and their two children in the Starkville area. The marriage, which began in 1991, was troubled. The couple had appeared on the Montel Williams Show, where Joey said they fought daily and Kristi acknowledged an affair with his best friend, with whom she had a child. By 2002, Kristi had moved to Jackson and was living with her boyfriend, Kyle Harvey.1Mississippi Supreme Court. Fulgham v. State
On Sunday, May 11, 2003, Joey’s brother Shannon had not been able to reach him by phone since the day before. He went to the house, got no answer at the door, and cut a window screen to get inside. He found Joey face down in bed, shot in the back of the head. Forensic pathologist Dr. Steven Hayne estimated Joey had been dead for 36 to 48 hours, placing the killing around May 9 or 10.2FindLaw. Fulgham v. State
What Pointed Investigators to Kristi
Four security light bulbs around the house had been unscrewed. A latent fingerprint on one of them was matched to Kristi by the Mississippi Crime Laboratory. Joey’s wallet, which had held roughly $1,020 from a paycheck he received on May 9, was gone, along with a computer CPU from the living room.1Mississippi Supreme Court. Fulgham v. State
Prosecutors built the case around money. Joey held two life insurance policies: one for $55,000 with Kristi as the beneficiary, and a second for $255,000 that had originally named Kristi but had been changed to name his mother. Kristi had asked about the insurance amounts about a month before the killing. Her father, Danny Edmonds, testified that a week or two before the murder Kristi asked him for a gun, told him she wanted Joey dead, mentioned insurance money, and offered to buy him a Cadillac to keep quiet.2FindLaw. Fulgham v. State
Kristi’s alibi was that she had been on a Mother’s Day weekend trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast with her children, her boyfriend Kyle Harvey, and her half-brother Tyler Edmonds. She was unemployed, but she paid cash for hotel rooms at the Beau Rivage, food, and souvenirs. Harvey, who was not charged and testified for the state, confirmed she was carrying a large amount of cash that weekend.1Mississippi Supreme Court. Fulgham v. State
Tyler Edmonds and the False Confession
Tyler Edmonds was Kristi’s half-brother, and he was 13 years old. He initially told investigators that he and Kristi had gone into Joey’s bedroom while he slept, that they had together fired a .22 rifle into his head, and that they had then loaded the children into a car and taken a computer and jewelry to make the scene look like a robbery.3Mississippi Supreme Court. Edmonds v. State Days later he recanted, saying he had been outside the house when he heard a gunshot and had seen Kristi come out alone.4Commercial Dispatch. Oktibbeha Woman Resentenced to Life Without Parole for Murder
According to Tyler, Kristi had told him that as a juvenile he would not go to jail, and that if she took the blame she would face the death penalty and her children would lose their mother.5NBC News. Wrongfully Convicted Child’s Murder Confession Tests Compensation Law A court-ordered psychological evaluation described him as less emotionally mature than his intellect suggested, with a strong need for adult approval and susceptibility to authority figures. He had written in a school essay that he loved Kristi “more than I love myself.” Witnesses also testified that Kristi routinely got Tyler to lie to her boyfriends to cover for her.3Mississippi Supreme Court. Edmonds v. State
Parts of the confession did not match the scene. Tyler said he and Kristi had told Kyle Harvey about the killing; Harvey testified they had not. Tyler described blood on a white pillowcase; crime scene footage showed khaki sheets and no visible blood.3Mississippi Supreme Court. Edmonds v. State Tyler was tried as an adult in 2004 and convicted of capital murder with a life sentence. The Mississippi Supreme Court reversed his conviction on May 10, 2007, and he was acquitted at a 2008 retrial after about four years in prison.6WDAM. Edmonds Acquitted in Oktibbeha County Murder
Conviction and Death Sentence
Kristi Fulgham stood trial in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court. The state presented her fingerprint on the unscrewed security light bulb, her father’s testimony about her stated wish to have Joey killed, the two life insurance policies, the missing wallet and computer, and the large amount of cash she spent while unemployed on the weekend of the killing.2FindLaw. Fulgham v. State
On December 9, 2006, the jury found her guilty of capital murder committed during a robbery. At sentencing, the jury found unanimously that she intended for the killing to occur and that lethal force would be used, and it identified two aggravating factors: that the murder was committed for financial gain and that it was committed during a robbery. She was sentenced to death.2FindLaw. Fulgham v. State
Why the Death Sentence Was Overturned
On October 28, 2010, the Mississippi Supreme Court unanimously upheld the capital murder conviction but reversed the death sentence and ordered a new sentencing hearing. Justice Ann Lamar wrote the 48-page opinion.7Daily Journal. Court Tosses Fulgham Death Sentence
The reversal turned on one issue. The trial judge, Lee J. Howard, had excluded mitigation testimony from social worker Adrienne Dorsey-Kidd during the penalty phase, sustaining the prosecution’s objection that she was not a psychiatrist or psychologist and would offer nothing beyond common knowledge. Dorsey-Kidd was prepared to describe Fulgham’s social history, including a lack of parental bonds and exposure to substance abuse by her mother and stepfathers. The Supreme Court held that excluding her was an abuse of discretion, quoting its earlier rule that a capital defendant “is permitted to introduce virtually any relevant and reliable evidence touching upon the defendant’s background and character.”8Mississippi Free Press. Court Overturns Fulgham Death Sentence
Resentenced to Life Without Parole
Rather than hold a second penalty trial, prosecutors and Fulgham reached a deal. On November 23, 2010, she was resentenced by Judge Lee Howard to life in prison without the possibility of parole. District Attorney Forrest Allgood said the victim’s family did not want another penalty hearing.9WLBT. Kristi Fulgham Re-Sentenced to Life in Prison Without Parole Because Mississippi law requires a jury to impose death, and no jury was going to be seated, life without parole was the only sentence available. Fulgham signed an affidavit giving up all rights to pursue post-conviction remedies in exchange for the state’s agreement not to seek the death penalty again.4Commercial Dispatch. Oktibbeha Woman Resentenced to Life Without Parole for Murder
Contraband and an Attempted Escape
Fulgham picked up two more felonies while she was in the Oktibbeha County jail awaiting trial. On August 16, 2004, she was found to have provided a cell phone and charger to another inmate. On October 7, 2004, she attempted to escape with the help of another inmate, Ricky West. She was indicted on both counts in July 2005 and pleaded guilty on January 24, 2006, receiving eight years for the contraband charge and four years for the attempted escape, to run consecutively.10Mississippi Supreme Court. Fulgham v. State – Section: Post-Conviction Relief
Where Kristi Fulgham Is Now
Fulgham is incarcerated at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility. Her Mississippi Department of Corrections record lists three active sentences: life for capital murder, eight years for possession of contraband in prison, and four years for the attempted escape.11Mississippi Department of Corrections. Inmate Details – Kristi Fulgham Under the 2010 resentencing agreement she waived all post-conviction remedies, so there is no further appeal available to her from the murder conviction.4Commercial Dispatch. Oktibbeha Woman Resentenced to Life Without Parole for Murder