SOMER RENEE THOMPSON - 7 yo (2009) - Clay County FL

The Clay County man named as a person of interest in the Somer
Thompson slaying is fighting extradition from Mississippi, where police
arrested him last week on child-pornography charges. Jarred
Mitchell Harrell, 24, is demanding that authorities show there is
probable cause for him to be charged with child pornography, Lauderdale
County Chief Deputy Sheriff Ward Calhoun said. Authorities will also be required to match Harrell’s
identity to that of the man named in the warrant. To extradite
Harrell, Florida investigators will have to submit documents proving
probable cause and other matters to Gov. Charlie Crist. Crist can then
send a governor’s warrant to Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour demanding
that Harrell be brought back to Clay County. Calhoun said he expected Harrell to be back in Florida as early as next week. "I've never seen where there never was one granted," Calhoun said. Harrell
will continue sitting in a jail isolation cell, where he's been held
since Thursday on $1 million bail in connection with the
child-pornography charges. Mississippi does not require that
court hearings be held in extradition matters as long as the paperwork
is approved. Though Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie said last
week Harrell will make a court appearance, Calhoun said that won't
happen in Mississippi. "We're honoring the warrants that have
come to us from Clay County and we're holding him on those warrants
until arrangements are made for him to be extradited to the state of
Florida," Calhoun said. Federal agents arrested Harrell in
Meridian, Miss., which is the Lauderdale County seat. He had been
staying with an aunt for several weeks. Harrell is being held in
the Lauderdale County Detention Facility in the city of 40,000 in
east-central Mississippi. He is charged with 29 counts of child
pornography after his two Orange Park roommates told police they
discovered graphic images on his computer and computer discs in August
and turned them over to police. The images were processed after 7-year-old Somer’s death. Clay
County Sheriff Rick Beseler last week named Harrell a man of interest
in Somer’s Oct. 19 disappearance and death, though Beseler has refused
to discuss evidence in the case. Harrell had been staying in his
mother’s Gano Avenue home when Somer disappeared nearby.

TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Charlie Crist is asking Mississippi officials to
extradite a man who is a "person of interest" in the slaying of a
7-year-old girl.

Crist asked Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour today to extradite Jarred
Mitchell Harrell to Florida, where he faces 29 counts of possession of
child pornography.

Authorities say Harrell is wanted for questioning in Somer
Thompson's October death. Her body was found in a south Georgia
landfill two days after she disappeared while walking home from school
in Orange Park, near Jacksonville.

An unemployed 24-year-old restaurant worker who lived on and off in
Somer's neighborhood, Harrell was arrested last week in Meridian,
Miss., where is being held on a $1 million bond. Barbour's office had
no immediate comment.

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has signed a warrant to have the man
Clay County authorities consider to be a person of interest in the Somer Thompson murder case delivered to Florida.

Jarred Mitchell Harrell, 24, was arrested Feb. 11 in Mississippi on 29
counts of possession of child pornography, but the Clay County
Sheriff's Office considers him a person of interest in the Somer
Thompson case.

It's not clear when Harrell will be extradited back to Florida.

Harrell has not been charged in connection with Thompson's death. Until
recently, he had lived near the home of the 7-year-old in North
Florida's Clay County.

Somer Thompson vanished on her way home from school in late October.
Her body was quickly found in a Georgia landfill 50 miles away.

In a statement released today, Clay County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman
Mary Justino, said, "Because the safety of all law enforcement officers
involved and the successful extradition of this individual are of
upmost importance, our agency will not reveal the exact date and time
of the planned extradition."

After Harrell is taken to the jail facility in Green Cove Springs, Justino said the media will be notified.

Miss. Sheriff Says Person Of Interest In Somer Murder Case Will Leave This Week

UPDATED: 4:24 pm EST February 22, 2010

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. -- Jarred
Harrell, the man named as a person of interest in the killing of
7-year-old Orange Park girl Somer Thompson, will soon be brought back
to Clay County.

Harrell, 24, who's facing 29 counts of possession
of child pornography, is currently sitting in solitary confinement in
his jail cell in Lauderdale County, Miss.

A warrant signed by the
Mississippi governor over the weekend gives permission to Clay County
deputies to go get Harrell and take him back to Florida.

The
sheriff in Mississippi told Channel 4 that will happen sometime this
week. He said the exchange will only take about 30 minutes.

He
said Harrell will be checked out of the jail and turned over to Clay
County deputies cuffed and shackled. The sheriff said Harrell will be
put into the car and driven back to Orange Park.

For security reasons, there will likely be multiple cars and many officers making the 10-hour trip.

The
Clay County Sheriff's Office said it will not reveal the exact time and
location of when and where Harrell's extradition will take place.

Investigators
said Harrell spent some time in Orange Park and lived in a house on
Gano Avenue, the street where Somer was last seen alive in October.

Investigators said more charges could come against Harrell in addition to the child pornography charges he's facing.

A three-vehicle caravan of Clay County investigators and federal
authorities left Mississippi this morning with Jarred Harrell, who's
being returned to Clay to face child porn charges and questions in the Somer Thompson slaying."He is gone," a relieved Lauderdale County (Miss.) Sheriff Billy Sollie told the Times-Union this morning.The
group sped off from the Lauderdale County Detention Facility about 9:15
central time for what is about a 9 hour trip. It's unclear when they
are expected to arrive at the Clay County jail. Clay authorities,
citing safety concerns, said they will not publicly discuss the travel plans until Harrell is booked into the local jail.Harrell, 24, was arrested Feb. 11 in Meridian, Miss., in the child-pornography case and had been held in the $1 million bail as he fought extradition. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour issued a governor's warrant last week calling for Harrell to be returned to Florida, agreeing to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's request for extradition. The
child-pornography charges stem from graphic images Harrell's former
roommates turned over to police in August after they found them on a
laptop and computer discs. In announcing Harrell's arrest in that case,
Sheriff Rick Beseler also identified him as a man of interest in
7-year-old Somer's slaying, but Beseler didn't discuss evidence in that case.Harrell
once lived in his mother's Gano Avenue home along the same route Somer
took when she disappeared Oct. 19 while walking home from school.
Harrell's father, Howard Harrell,
told the Times-Union FBI agents visited his Mississippi home about
seven weeks ago to collect DNA evidence in connection with their
investigation of Harrell.Howard Harrell said the agents told him
his son wasn't cooperating with their request for his DNA. After the
agents' visit, Jarred Harrell gave them a DNA sample, Howard Harrell
said. One of the many pieces of evidence police said they've been
hoping would identify Somer's killer is DNA samples taken from where
she was found in a Folkston landfill two days after she disappeared.

GREEN COVE SPRINGS - Jarred Harrell appeared briefly this
morning before a Clay County judge via closed circuit television and
was ordered held on $1 million bail on 29 counts of child pornography
pending his arraignment.
Harrell, 24, was appointed a public defender and returned to the Clay County jail. His arraignment date was set for March 10.

Harrell has been named by Sheriff Rick Beseler as a person on interest in the Oct. 19 Somer Thompson
slaying, but he has not been charged in that case. He was extradited
back to Clay County from Meridian, Miss., where he was arrested Feb. 11
in the child pornography case.
A three-vehicle police caravan arrived at the jail in Green Cove Springs with Harrell early this morning.
Fourteen other jail inmates appeared before County Judge Richard
Townsend before Harrell. The jail room emptied of the others, Harrell
walked in at 8:05 a.m. dressed in a gray-and-white striped uniform and
stood in handcuffs before a lectern as public defender Kate Bedell
stood at his side.
Townsend said he found there was probable cause to hold Harrell on
the child pornography warrant issued Feb. 11. Harrell said nothing
other than "Yes, sir," at one point during the hearing, which lasted
about a minute.
The only spectator inside the courtroom was Ann Dugger, executive
director of The Justice Coalition, a local victim's advocates
organization. Dugger said she appeared on behalf of Somer's mother,
Diena Thompson.
"My prayer is that if Jarred Harrell is responsible for this crime
[Somer's slaying] may he get the punishment to the fullest extent of
the law," Dugger said.
About a dozen motorcycle riders parked their bikes across from the
courthouse, hung signs called for "Justice for Somer," and waved to
motorist as they passed by honking. A member of the group said they are
friends of Somer's mother and showed up to support her.
"We want to make sure everybody hasn't forgotten," said Vince
Webster, 49, of Green Cove Springs. "We've been supporting Diena and
her family since day one and that's what it's all about here this
morning. We want justice."
The child-pornography charges against Harrell stem from graphic
images his former roommates turned over to police in August after they
found them on his laptop and computer discs.
In announcing those charges Feb. 11, Beseler also identified Harrell
as a man of interest in the Oct. 19 disappearance and slaying of Somer,
7. When she disappeared walking home from school on Gano Avenue,
friends of Harrell's family said he'd been spending time at his
mother's home on the same route.
Beseler hadn't discussed evidence in that case, but a Times-Union
interview with Harrell's father indicates investigators are relying in
part on DNA.

Below is the text of two phone calls made by Jarred Harrell to his
mother, Annis Dailey, while Harrell was being held in the Lauderdale
County (Miss.) jail. Click here to read the full Jarred Harrell story on Jacksonville.comFIRST CALL:The
first call was made a few days after Harrell’s Feb. 11 arrest in
Meridian, Miss., on a child pornography warrant issued in Clay County.
The call lasts about 5 ½ minutes.Harrell: HeyDailey: Hey honey, how are you doing?Harrell: Ah, holding in there I guess.Dailey: Do what?Harrell: I guess I’m holding in there.Dailey: That’s good. That’s good. (Inaudible) you have lots of time on your hands, just work out.Harrell: Everybody’s kinda telling me I look stressed.Dailey: You have to talk a little louder. I can’t hear you.Harrell: (Inaudible) My voice is kinda stressed. That’s how, literally, I think the stress is killing me.Dailey: Well, trust me, we’ve…you would not believe everything here. We’re right in there with you.Harrell: I know, I’m sorry.Dailey:
No, no, no. It’s not, no, it’s not all you. Trust me, it’s going to get
a lot uglier for them before it’s over with, trust me.Harrell: Well, I’ve only got a couple of minutes.Dailey: That’s fine. Ok, do you have, in the morning do you have a court appearance?Harrell: No, I’m still in Mississippi.Dailey: I understand, but you’re still in booking. You’re still in holding.Harrell: Yeah, still in holding. I have to be extradited. They can take as long as up to 60 days.Dailey: I understand, but trust me, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.Harrell: I’ve already heard them talking. They’re going to come get me like the second of next month.Dailey: Well, people say a lot of things. Unless you hear it from me or you hear it from an appointed attorney…Harrell: I can’t get an attorney (inaudible). The bail is set at like seven million and three dollars.Dailey: Well, it’s one million, but anyway.Harrell: The judge (inaudible).Dailey: Anyway, here’s what you do. You requested an attorney right?Harrell: I requested an attorney, yeah. They never gave me one.Dailey:
OK. Here’s what’s going to happen. You should have a court appearance
in the morning because they have to officially book you. You’ve never
even went before the judge yet.Harrell: No I haven’t. They never told me anything about it.Dailey:
OK. It was bad weather Friday. They couldn’t do it. They had to
postpone it until Tuesday. Which is not a bad thing with all the press
and everything.Harrell: I only get one phone call.Dailey:
OK, listen to me. Tell them that you want an attorney; are you going to
have an attorney that you requested in the morning. Because you have to
have a public defender before you go to court in the morning for your
appearance.Harrell: OK.Dailey: And I’m going to call the
front office and just make sure that I tell them the same thing. You
need to ask them, where’s my attorney? The other thing is that you
don’t just get one phone call. You can call me whenever you want to.Harrell: Well, no, that wasn’t their instruction. I’ve been in solitary, like by myself.Dailey: I understand.Harrell: One phone call.Dailey:
Well, I’m telling you different. If you want to call again, then you
ask them to let you make a phone call because they’re supposed to let
you do that and I will follow through on that.Harrell: I’ve already asked (inaudible)Dailey:
Anyway. I will be there in the morning to make..I’m going to call, you
need to ask them when is my court appearance and when do I get to talk
to my attorney. Those are the two things you have to keep asking them.
OK.Harrell: OK.Dailey: And until then, let’s see, what did Mitchell say. Keep your chin up, keep you mouth shut and get an attorney.Harrell: I’m trying. Just don’t believe anything (inaudible)Dailey:
Honey, I don’t believe anything, trust me. And the thing is, is that
I’m your alibi, so I have to be real careful, you know, what I say to
anybody. We’re making no comments to any of the news. The little girl’s
mother is making no comments. And so they’re trying to pull from
everything else that they can. And it’s making them look like idiots.
So the longer you’re there, trust me, the better it is. It’s tough, I
know. But just hang in there. OK?Harrell: All right.Dailey:
And trust me we’ve got a whole group of people here that’s doing
everything we can, you know, on that end. And that’s pretty far
reaching. So you’ve just got to trust me.Harrell: You all are the only (inaudible)Dailey:
Trust me, it’s all..it’ll have to play out. But it’s just time. And, so
what I said is just, if you get bored or something, just, perfect time
to work out. So just exercise and keep your head on your shoulders. But
I will, I’m driving through and I’ll be there in the morning. And um, I
don’t know if you’ll see me, but I’ll be there.Harrell: (Inaudible)Dailey:
But you have to ask them, when you get off the phone, you ask them do I
have a court appearance in the morning? What time? And where is the
attorney that I requested?Harrell: OK.Dailey: Because you have rights to those. Definite rights to those. You have those.Harrell: I thought I had to be extradited first.Dailey:
No, no. Any time you go before a judge you have to have an attorney.
And I’m going to be calling them asking the same thing. Call Ends SECOND CALL:The second call was made shortly after the first call, but it’s unclear when. The call lasts slightly less than three minutes.Harrell: Hey.Dailey: Hey honey.Harrell: All right. Did you hear what’s going on now?Dailey: No, I haven’t heard anything.Harrell: When they originally brought me in…Dailey: Right.Harrell: They didn’t sign any of the paperwork. They forgot to sign it.Dailey: They forgot to sign any of the paperwork?Harrell:
And I didn’t sign a single thing when I came in, so this whole time
I’ve been here, I’ve been arrested for nothing from no one, pretty
much(inaudible)Dailey: So what are they doing?Harrell: They’re still holding me for the marshals.Dailey: What does that mean?Harrell: And, she said that they can’t legally, you know, legally...Dailey: Have you go before the judge?Harrell: Can’t get me an attorney.Dailey: They can’t get you an attorney?Harrell: Correct.Dailey: And they can’t have you go before the judge?Harrell: Correct.Dailey: Because they didn’t sign the paperwork. So you’re just sitting there waiting for…Harrell:
I’ve been arrested for nothing (inaudible) because it’s a piece of
paper with the judge’s signature on it. That’s all it is.Dailey: Well who has to sign the paperwork?Harrell: The arresting officers (inaudible)Dailey: So they let you to make another phone call.Harrell: Yeah, because they’ve screwed up. So, they’re changing rules (inaudible) I can’t use it that much.Dailey: That’s fine. That’s fine. I’m leaving this afternoon and I’m headed that way.Harrell: They (inaudible) all their search, searches and seizures and everything off of this arrest.Dailey: And it’s not even been signed?Harrell: No.Dailey: Unfreakenbelievable.Harrell: They did everything off of this arrest and they couldn’t even do it right.Dailey: OK. All right. I’m going to be headed that way.Harrell: All right, well, I don’t really know what to do. I guess I’ll just wait.Dailey:
That’s all you can do baby. You’re just going to have to sit there and
let it play out and just let me take care of it. OKHarrell: All right.Dailey: All right. I Love you.Harrell: Love you.Dailey: Bye.Call Ends

Here's a very interesting article about Harrell and his mothers life. She allowed one weirdo ex husband to "marry" her 8 year old daughter. That's when she lost custody of the children. Jared was 3 years old. Here's a snipit as it's quite long;

http://jacksonville.com/community/clay/2010-02-18/story/man_of_interest_in_somer_thompson_slaying_had_bizarre_upbringing


Mississippi court records describe a bizarre series of events that
found Jarred and his sister bounced between their mother and Harrell
for parts of their young lives. Howard and Annis Harrell were
married in Lucedale in October 1979. Their daughter was born seven
months later, while Jarred was born in July 1985, the records show. The
couple divorced a year later and Annis got custody of the children.
Harrell got them back three years later following the events outlined
in a judge’s 1990 order in the case. Shortly before the Harrells
separated, she was working as a secretary for Joe Newman, a married,
eccentric local inventor. The two became lovers with the knowledge of
Newman’s wife, while Annis still had custody of the children, the
judge’s order states. In February 1989, Newman publicized what
the order states is a 17-page “news release” in which he announced he
was married not only to his wife, but to Annis Harrell and her
8-year-old daughter. The order does not indicate why the release was
issued or how, but the order says Newman described himself as a prophet
of God and that his wife believed him, among other things. Alerted
to the public statements, state child welfare officials sought to take
the children from their mother, who officially married Newman in
September 1989. During a court hearing in the custody matter, Newman
said his marriage to the daughter was spiritual, not sexual, and that
he would debate with God whether to consummate the marriage, the order
states.

Jarred Mitchell Harrell appeared before a Clay County judge Thursday
morning for the second time in two days, this time on charges of
molesting a young child and 12 counts of child pornography.

County
Judge Richard Townsend returned Harrell to the county jail without bail
on the charges - lewd and lascivious conduct on a child younger than 12
and producing child pornography. Authorities served the new arrest
warrant on Harrell on Wednesday, a few hours after he faced Townsend on
29 counts of child pornography. Harrell was returned to the Clay jail on $1 million bail in the first case. One
thing different Thursday was that Harrell was wearing a thick,
smock-like body cover designed to prevent inmates from ripping any
clothing they are wearing to commit suicide. Harrell is being held in
isolation in the jail. Townsend scheduled arraignments for Harrell on March 10. Harrell,
24, has also been named a person of interest in the Oct. 19
disappearance and slaying of Somer Thompson, 7, but he has not been
charged in that case.

Court records reportedly show Clay County
detectives believe Jarred Harrell took pictures of a little girl in the
bedroom of his Gano Avenue home.
According to Harrell's arrest warrant involving the molestation and production of child porn charges, detectives seized a digital camera belonging to the 24-year-old at his home in Callahan, Fla.
The camera was found while police were serving a search warrant at the Nassau County house two weeks ago.
The arrest warrant states detectives found, on the camera's storage data card, a video and 11 still images.
Police described the pictures as that of "a partially nude, white female child between the ages of 3- to 5-years old."
According to the warrant, the little girl was asked to "...place herself in different positions during recording."
It states Harrell "...was also seen on the recording taking his hand
and spreading" the little girl's body parts in order to expose her
genitals.
The warrant said the child's mom identified the girl as her daughter.
Police said the pictures were taken between August and November 2008, when the child was 3.
The mother also told police the video of her daughter was taken in Harrell's bedroom, in his Orange Park home, at 1152 Gano Ave.
The girl's mother was able to identify the room by looking at other
pictures on Harrell's camera, which were taken at the same time as the
video, police said.
In addition to the molestation and production of child porn charges,
Harrell is also charged with 29 counts of possession of child porn.
Just released court records show the ages of the girls in those
pictures, which police said were found on Harrell's computer, are from
under 10- to 18-years-old.
None of the charges against Harrell are related to the October disappearance of 7-year-old Somer Thompson,
who vanished on her way home from school and was found dead in a
landfill days later. But he is considered by the Clay County Sheriff's
Office to be a person of interest in the case.

Poster's Note: For those with strong stomachs and don't mind lewd descriptions of sex acts forced by a pedophile; here are the arrest warrants on the "person of interest"

TomTerrific0420 wrote:Poster's Note: For those with strong stomachs and don't mind lewd descriptions of sex acts forced by a pedophile; here are the arrest warrants on the "person of interest"

http://download.gannett.edgesuite.net/wtsp/pdfs/2010/0301210_Harrell1.PDF


http://download.gannett.edgesuite.net/wtsp/pdfs/2010/0301210_Harrell2.PDF

Tom it's heartbreaking. In the first warrant the child aged between 3 and 5 years old's mother obviously new him well because she was able to identify his bedroom in the photos. I hope Harrell's mother reads these warrants.

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. -- Jarred Harrell, the person of interest in the
Somer Thompson murder case, has officially been charged in another case
involving molestation and production of child porn.
Police say this case is not related to the Thompson investigation.
Harrell's charging document, filed today, revealed he is now facing
26 charges stemming from 12 photos and one video police say they found
in a camera in Harrell's Callahan home.
OFFICIAL CHARGING PAPERS (WARNING: DETAILS ARE GRAPHIC AND EXPLICIT)
Court records show the video and pictures were taken in the bedroom
of a Gano Avenue home in Orange Park where the 24-year-old once lived.
Harrell will be arraigned on the charges Wednesday.

The only person of interest in the killing of Jacksonville-area girl Somer Thompson is facing new charges.Jarred Harrell goes before a judge Wednesday morning on child molestation charges.Harrell
is not charged with Somer's death, but speculation against him is
growing as these additional charges involve his interactions with a
girl around the same age as Somer.Two weeks ago, Harell, 24, a
fugitive, had just been brought to the Clay County Jail after
authorities found him in the state of Mississippi with charges against
him.Suspicion now in Somer's community is growing as the charges mount against Harrell.
In addition to having child pornography on his computer, authorities filed 26 additional counts against him.Those
counts do not involve Somer, whose body was found in a landfill near
her home, but are based on accusations of molesting, videotaping and
photographing a girl between the ages of 3 and 5 in the same home
investigators searched after Somer's disappearance, according to a
Jacksonville newspaper.Court records reveal the video and images
show the young girl partially naked posing and Harrell's hand in some
shots exposing the girl.A family member identified the girl as someone the Harrell family knows and said the images were taken in Harrell's bedroom.His arraignment is set for later Wednesday. Harrell is being held at the Clay County Jail.

Jarred Harrell, the person of interest in the Somer Thompson murder
case, has officially been charged in another case involving molestation
and production of child porn.
In court this morning, Harrell pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.
Police say this case is not related to the Thompson investigation.
Harrell's charging document, filed Tuesday, revealed he is now
facing 26 charges stemming from 12 photos and one video police say they
found in a camera in Harrell's Callahan home.
OFFICIAL CHARGING PAPERS (WARNING: DETAILS ARE GRAPHIC AND EXPLICIT)
Court records show the video and pictures were taken in the bedroom
of a Gano Avenue home in Orange Park where the 24-year-old once lived.
Harrell will be arraigned on the charges Wednesday.
Harrell was arrested Feb. 11 in Meridian, Miss. on 29 counts related to child pornography.
The Clay County Sheriff's Office said the pornography crimes occured in Clay County.
He was extradited to Clay County and arrived Feb. 24.
Somer disappeared on her walk home from Grove Park Elementary Oct.
19. Her body was found a few days later in a Georgia landfill.

FBI agents have arrested a 64-year-old
man who lives near the Somer Thompson family on child pornography
charges but say the man is not a suspect in the 7-year-old child’s
abduction or murder.
Sixty-four-year-old Charles Watkins of
226 Chestnut Ct. was arrested without incident early Thursday, March 18,
at his home, FBI Special Agent Jeff Westcott said. He said Watkins is
charged with one count each of receiving and possessing child
pornography.
The charges are related to computer
images, but Westcott declined to give further details.
He said the arrest follows a lengthy,
multi-agency investigation that based on tips and other information that
surfaced during an investigation into the murder of Somer, who was
abducted on her way home from Grove Park Elementary school on Oct. 19.
Her body was found two days later at a South Georgia landfill.
Watkins is not considered a suspect in her slaying, Westcott said.
He said the Clay County Sheriff’s Office
was one of several agencies involved in the Watkins investigation, but
the case was turned over to the FBI because of the nature of the
charges. A federal grand jury returned an indictment one day before the
arrest was made.
Watkins’ arrest comes on the heels of
the Feb. 11 arrest in Meridian, Miss., of former Orange Park area
resident Jarred Harrell.
Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler
considers Harrell, who initially was charged with 29 counts of
possession of child pornography but now faces additional charges of
molesting an unidentified child younger than 5 years old and promoting a
sexual performance involving the same girl, as a person of interest in
the Thompson case.
Investigators have said they believe
Harrell molested the child in a house once owned by Harrell’s stepfather
at 1152 Gano Ave. The house is situated near an area where Somer last
was seen.
The initial child pornography charges
were filed after two of Harrell’s roommates evicted him from the
apartment they shared on Wells Road. The roommates had become suspicious
of Harrell and turned over a CD allegedly belonging to Harrell to local
authorities. Investigators said they discovered numerous pornographic
images of children on the CD, as well as other images on a computer they
believe belonged to Harrell.
Harrell, 24, moved to Mississippi
sometime after his eviction, and now is being held in isolation at the
Clay County jail and is being held without bond. He is being represented
by a public defender.

http://www.wesh.com/news/22962434/detail.html

Authorities To Announce Development In Somer Case

Girl, 7, Found Dead In Landfill Last Year


POSTED: 6:42 am
EDT March 26, 2010
UPDATED: 7:01 am EDT March 26, 2010

Clay County FL ---- Clay County authorities will announce a
major development in the case of slain girl Somer Thompson
Friday.The announcement will be held at the gymnasium of
the First Baptist Church of Orange Park at noon.New information
will be provided on this case and a question and answer period will be
held with the Team Somer representatives, according to a news release.
Somer, 7, disappeared in October of last year as she walked home from school
in Orange Park. Her body was found two days later in a Georgia landfill.
Investigators have refused to reveal how Somer died.During the
four-month investigation, authorities said they pursued thousands of
leads.One person of interest, Jarred Harrell, 24, is jailed on
child pornography charges.No arrests have been made in connection
with Somer's death.

Investigators in Florida have charged a 24-year-old man with murder
in the slaying of a 7-year-old girl who disappeared while walking home
from school last year.Jarred Mitchell Harrell was charged Friday
in the killing of Somer Thompson. He has been in custody since Feb. 11,
when authorities arrested him in Mississippi on child pornography
charges in Florida. Harrell was then extradited to Florida.Somer
disappeared Oct. 19 and a massive search was launched in the
Jacksonville suburb of Orange Park. Her body was found two days later in
a Georgia landfill.Detectives say Harrell was living at his
parents' home near Somer's school and house when she went missing.

PRESS CONFERENCE: Man Charged With Somer Thompson's Murder

http://www.wftv.com/video/22966751/index.html

Somer Thompson's mom Speaks:

http://www.wftv.com/video/22967561/index.html

A “Justice for Somer” banner outside the
First Baptist Church flapped in the breeze as Clay County Sheriff Rick
Beseler announced inside the church’s gym that a 24-year-old man already
jailed on numerous counts of possessing child pornography has been
charged with murdering 7-year-old Somer Thompson.
Beseler said during a news conference
held Friday, March 26 that based on the man’s own admissions, DNA
samples, evidence taken from a Gano Avenue house where the man was
living and witness statements, he is confident that Jarred Harrell is
the person responsible for the “brutal” and “random” slaying of the
second-grade student.
He said it was Harrell who abducted
Somer as she walked home from Grove Park Elementary School on Oct. 19,
sexually assaulted her and asphyxiated her before tossing her lifeless
body into a dumpster that was found two days later in a South Georgia
landfill.
Harrell made his first court appearance
Friday afternoon on charges of premeditated murder and sexual battery
and lewd and lascivious molestation of a person younger than 12. He has
been staying in an isolated cell in the Clay County Jail since
mid-February, when he was extradited from Meridian, Miss., where he was
arrested for multiple counts of possessing child pornography while
living in the Orange Park area.
Harrell also is facing additional child
porn-related charges that surfaced after his initial arrest. He is being
represented by an attorney from the public defender’s office.
Beseler said the murder charge marks the
end of “an extreme roller coaster ride” for investigators as well as
Somer’s mother, Diena Thompson, and her family. He said Harrell had been
on the radar of “Team Somer” since the early stages of the
investigation, but team investigators, who represent six law enforcement
agencies, have endured public pressure to find Somer’s murderer quickly
in favor of their commitment to conduct a thorough investigation with
no loopholes.
“We feel confident that Jarred Harrell
committed this crime,” Beseler said. “His movements and whereabouts were
being monitored. We didn’t have a hard time finding him [in
Mississippi].”
Diena Thompson held a separate news
conference two hours later. As her immediate family, flanked by Team
Somer members, held hands, the 35-year-old mother spoke candidly of
being relieved that a “monster” is being brought to justice.
She said her slain daughter was “a star
that never got to shine,” and that the dreamlike state in which she has
been living is finally coming to an end.
“The alarm finally went off because the
monster is gone,” Thompson said. “Somer is forever going to be in my
heart and in my mind.”
She also made a plea for communities to
take action to prevent such tragedies from happening again.
“This isn’t Mayberry anymore,” she said
of her neighborhood and the Orange Park community. “We need to reclaim
our children’s innocence and their safety.”
Thompson said she is undecided about
whether she believes the person responsible for her daughter’s murder
should face the death penalty, though she supported corporal punishment
before her daughter was killed.
Still, she referred to Somer’s alleged
murderer with anger and disgust.
"A monster,” Thompson said. “That’s all
this person is – a monster.”

Prosecutors said they may seek the death penalty against the man charged
with murdering 7-year-old Somer Thompson.Jarred Harrell was
charged Friday with sexually abusing, then asphyxiating the girl in
October 2009 near her home before dumping her body in the trash.Somer’s
body was found in a landfill in south Georgia days after she
disappeared.Clay County deputies said they have evidence that
proves Harrell committed the crime, but they did not immediately release
many details.Sheriff Rick Beseler said Harrell’s name came up
among the thousands of tips received in the days leading up to Somer’s
body being found.Harrell was later arrested in Mississippi on
unrelated charges of child pornography.“I stood here in front of
all you 150-something days ago and said, ‘We’re coming to get you. We
will get you,’” Somer’s mother, Diena Thompson, said
Friday. “So I’d like to take this opportunity to say to Jarred
Harrell: We got you, and you ain’t getting away.”Harrell was
locked up without bond in Clay County. His public defender has hinted he
may ask the trial be moved, because of all the publicity in the case.

The mother of 7-year-old Somer Thompson, who vanished while walking
home from school in north Florida, says charges filed in her daughter's
murder have brought some relief.Diena Thompson told NBC's "Today
Show" Monday morning that her family is doing "a little bit better" after detectives charged
24-year-old Jarred Mitchell Harrell with premeditated murder Friday.Thompson
said she goes through a gamut of emotions and that the pain is
excruciating. She also said she thinks it would be fair for Harrell to
get the death penalty.Somer Thompson's body was found in a
Georgia landfill two days after she disappeared in October.Harrell
has also been charged with lewd and lascivious battery and sexual
battery. He was already being held on child porn charges in a separate
case.

http://www.wesh.com/news/23029131/detail.html
Jarred Harrell Indicted By Grand Jury
Man Accused Of Killing 7-Year-Old Somer Thompson
POSTED: 6:10 pm EDT April 1, 2010
UPDATED: 6:58 pm EDT April 1, 2010
GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. -- The man accused of killing a 7-year-old Clay County girl has been indicted by a grand jury.

State Attorney Angela B. Corey announced Thursday that the Clay County grand jury returned a four-count indictment charging Jarred Mitchell Harrell with murder in the first-degree, kidnapping, sexual battery and lewd or lascivious battery in relation to the disappearance and death of Somer Renee Thompson.

Somer disappeared Oct. 19 from her neighborhood in Orange Park. Her body was found two days later in a landfill in Folkston, Ga.

On Feb. 23, detectives with the Clay County Sheriff's Office transported Harrell from Meridian, Miss., where he had been arrested, to the Clay County Jail on charges not related to Somer's death. At that time, Harrell was only considered a person of interest in the girl's death, investigators said.

On March 26, Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler gathered the "Team Somer" task force to announce that Harrell had been charged with murder.

On Thursday, evidence was presented to the grand jurors of Clay County, who returned the four-count indictment against Harrell at about 4 p.m.

Judge William A. Wilkes accepted the indictment and set no bond on the charges.

Harrell's arraignment on the indictment is scheduled for April 8 in Clay County.

Jarred Harrell pleaded not guilty this morning in the Oct. 19
kidnapping, sexual battery and slaying of Somer
Thompson.
Harrell, 24, was charged March 26 with the 7-year-old's slaying. His
not-guilty plea was made before Circuit Judge William Wilkes in a
hearing that lasted about a minute. His next court appearance is set for
April 26.
Harrell, also facing child pornography charges in two separate cases,
is being held in the Clay County jail without bail.
Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler said investigators have DNA,
interviews and other evidence that link Harrell to the slaying. Somer
was last seen walking on Gano Avenue after she left school. Harrell's
stepfather owns a home on the street that police said Harrell used.