Carla Ann Hughes (born June 12, 1981) is a former middle school teacher and murderer from Jackson, Mississippi, who was convicted of two counts of

capital murder Capital murder was a statutory offence of aggravated murder in Great Britain, and Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, which was later adopted as a legal provision to define certain forms of aggravated murder in the United States. In som ...

for the November 29, 2006 slayings of her lover's pregnant fiancee, Avis Banks, and Banks's unborn child. She is serving two consecutive sentences of life without parole at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility near Pearl, Mississippi.

Early life and education

Carla Hughes was born on June 12, 1981, and was

adopted Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

by her uncle Carl and aunt Lynda Hughes when she was six weeks old. She was raised in Greenville, Mississippi. As a child, she excelled in horseback riding, beauty pageants and was an honors student. Hughes earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in the early 2000s. In 2004, she gave birth to a son. She next earned her Master of Education degree from

Belhaven College Belhaven University (Belhaven or BU) is a private evangelical Christian university in Jackson, Mississippi. Founded in 1883, the university offers traditional majors, programs of general studies, and pre-professional programs in Christian Ministr ...

in Jackson, Mississippi. Hughes then began taking graduate coursework in education at Delta State University. At the time of her arrest, she was pursuing a doctorate in education. Hughes started out her teaching career at an elementary school but then took a job as a 7th grade language arts teacher at Chastain Middle School in Jackson, Mississippi, where she met fellow schoolteacher and basketball coach Keyon Pittman, a graduate of

Alcorn State University Alcorn State University (Alcorn State, ASU or Alcorn) is a public historically black land-grant university adjacent to Lorman, Mississippi. It was founded in 1871 and was the first black land grant college established in the United States. O ...

. The two began having an intimate relationship. At the same time, Pittman had a live-in fiancee, Avis Banks, who was pregnant.

Murder and Investigation

On the night of November 29, 2006, Avis Banks, a daycare worker, was found shot and stabbed to death in the garage of her

Ridgeland, Mississippi Ridgeland is a city in Madison County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 24,047 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Jackson, Mississippi metropolitan area. History In 1805, the Choctaw Indian Agency, headed by Silas Dinsmoor, was ...

home. Her body was discovered by her fiance Keyon Pittman, and it appeared as if the perpetrator had kicked in their back door. After discovering the body, Pittman called his co-worker Carla Hughes. Hughes was later

interrogated Interrogation (also called questioning) is interviewing as commonly employed by law enforcement officers, military personnel, intelligence agencies, organized crime syndicates, and terrorist organizations with the goal of eliciting useful informa ...

by police, where she initially denied her sexual relationship with Pittman and later denied having access to a gun. However, Hughes's cousin indicated to police, via an attorney, that he had lent a loaded

.38 caliber .38 caliber is a frequently used name for the caliber of firearms and firearm cartridges. The .38 is considered a large firearm cartridge; anything larger than .32 is considered a large caliber.Wright, James D.; Rossi, Peter H.; Daly, Kathleen ...

, five-shot

revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...

to Hughes shortly before the murder, and that she had returned the gun empty. Hughes was originally charged with accessory to murder after the fact, but on December 8, 2006, the charges were upgraded to two counts of

Trial

Carla Hughes' trial began in October 2009. Prosecutors believed that Hughes killed Avis Banks so she could be with Pittman. Pittman testified for the prosecution on October 6, 2009, stating to jurors how he found Avis Banks' body in their garage, and talked about his relationship with Hughes. In addition to Pittman's testimony, prosecutors were able to prove that Hughes' cousin's gun was the murder weapon and that Hughes’ shoes were used to kick in the door. Cell phone records also showed that Hughes was near Banks’ and Pittman's home at the time of the murder. Hughes' attorneys called Pittman a "bona fide womanizer" who did not want to be married with a child. They claimed that he had worn Hughes' shoes during the murder, and he discounted testimony about how Hughes' cellphone records placed her at the crime scene, claiming that she had a friend in the area. On October 12, 2009, Hughes decided not to testify in her own defense. The case was then handed over to the jury.

Verdict

On October 13, 2009, after eight hours of

deliberation Deliberation is a process of thoughtfully weighing options, usually prior to voting. Deliberation emphasizes the use of logic and reason as opposed to power-struggle, creativity, or dialogue. Group decisions are generally made after deliberation ...

, Hughes's jury announced they had reached a verdict. Hughes was found guilty on both counts of

. Although Hughes could have faced the death penalty, she was instead sentenced to serve two consecutive life sentences without parole.

Aftermath

On August 30, 2010, a Madison County judge denied Carla Hughes' request for a new trial.
On June 21, 2012, the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the Madison County Circuit Court. Six issues were raised on appeal, all of which were found to be without error.

Media

The Carla Hughes case and the murder of Avis Banks have been explored and re-enacted on several true-crime television shows that include '' Criminals at Work'', '' Dateline NBC'', '' Snapped'', '' Forensic Files'', ''

Stolen Voices, Buried Secrets ''Stolen Voices, Buried Secrets'' is an American true crime television series on the Investigation Discovery Network. The program is different from other true-crime series because the murders are portrayed from the omniscient point-of-view of the v ...

'', '' Scorned: Love Kills'', ''

Fatal Attraction ''Fatal Attraction'' is a 1987 American psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne from a screenplay by James Dearden, based on his 1980 short film '' Diversion''. Starring Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, and Anne Archer, the film centers ...

'', ''A Wedding and a Murder'', ''American Monster: With Honors'', ''Redrum'' (played by Melissa Joyner), and The Killer Truth (HBO).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Carla 1981 births Living people American people convicted of murder American female murderers People from Greenville, Mississippi People from Jackson, Mississippi Belhaven University alumni Delta State University alumni People from Ridgeland, Mississippi American murderers of children Criminals from Mississippi Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Mississippi University of Southern Mississippi alumni Alpha Kappa Alpha members 21st-century African-American educators 21st-century American educators 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people