The family and friends of Sherry Ingold, a rural United States Postal Service worker who was killed while delivering mail along Highway 35 in Hesterville on Jan. 16, 2020, are furious following a long-awaited competency hearing for her alleged murderer, Roland Mitchell Dampeer.
Dampeer, who also faces a federal charge for discharging a firearm — a 9mm Ruger LCR pistol — appeared in the Northern District Court of the United States District Court for another competency hearing on Friday, Feb. 25, before standing trial for the shooting death of Ingold, — in the incident.
Dampeer
Ingold, the mother of three grown children and a Hesterville native who lived in Lexington, succumbed to her injuries at the University of Mississippi Medical Center eight days after the incident in which Dampeer allegedly shot her in the head and then fled from law enforcement. He was later captured after being shot in the leg by an officer.
A Mendenhall, MS, native, the defendant is also accused of attempting to kidnap Andrea Goss of Carmack from inside the Sunflower supermarket on Highway 12 a short while before shooting Ingold. Once the murder case against him is adjudicated, Dampeer will face those charges separately in Attala County Circuit Court.
Originally set to begin April 13, 2020, the federal murder trial has been repeatedly postponed and as of this publication, has yet to start.
The hearing
The competency hearing was brief, but in a family meeting with the prosecution prior to the hearing, the Ingold family was shocked and displeased to discover that the case may be taking a turn. Criminal Chief Bob Norman and U.S. Assistant Attorney Kimberly Hampton told the family that the prosecution’s psychiatric evaluations determined that Dampeer was clinically insane with schizophrenia at the time of Ingold’s murder, which would negatively affect the chances of Dampeer receiving a jury trial or the hoped-for 25-years-to-life sentence in federal prison.
Kristy Ingold Killebrew, Sherry’s daughter who acts as the family spokesperson, was furious. Killebrew and other family members questioned why the prosecution seemed as though they had given up on justice for Sherry. Norman and Hamilton answered that Dampeer’s psychiatric evaluation has made it more difficult for the prosecution's case, and they insisted they had not given up.
As the hearing began, Dampeer entered the courtroom wearing a blue jumpsuit and a long beard. He sat hunched over, handcuffed, for the majority of the hearing. The hearing was presided over by Judge Sharion Aycock, with attorney M. Scott Davis representing Dampeer and Norman and Hampton representing the U.S. prosecution. The prosecution’s psychiatrists were available on a screen via Zoom call.
When reading Dampeer’s charges in the case, Judge Aycock misspoke and referred to Sherry as “Cheryl,” further infuriating the Ingold family and adding to their sense that Sherry’s life was not being respected or represented well in the proceedings.
A psychiatric report about Dampeer, which entailed five exhibits, was accepted by the prosecution. It included a forensic psychological report of Dampeer dated Sept. 29, 2020; forensic evaluations dated June 1, 2021, Oct. 19, 2021, Dec. 21, 2021, and Feb. 11, 2022; and a certificate of Dampeer’s restoration of competency on Oct. 27, 2021.
Dampeer’s attorney said his client has been regularly taking medication — two daily pills and an injection every two weeks — which has restored his competency to stand trial.
Judge Aycock stated the opinion of the examiner reports determined Dampeer is currently able to understand the charges against him and assist properly in his defense. The report’s view on Dampeer’s current mental status described his psychosis as being in remission and that he is not presently suffering from mental illness or defect. But if he does not follow his medication regimen, he could lose competence.
Although currently deemed competent, however, Davis notified Judge Aycock that he will be filing a not guilty plea on the basis of insanity on Dampeer’s behalf because he was reportedly not competent at the time of the shooting.
The defense filed for a continuance of the trial, previously set for March 7, 2022, and the prosecution had no objection.
Post-hearing talks
After the hearing, Norman and Hampton addressed the Ingold family again in a meeting, in which Kristy, Sherry’s best friend Vickie Dees Gove, and other family members expressed their frustration and anger with the prosecution and how the case was progressing. They asked how Dampeer could be deemed insane at the time of the shooting when he was able to attempt a kidnapping and knew to flee from Attala County Sheriff’s deputies. (See related story).
Norman told the family that having a jury trial, at this point, would be nothing more than putting on a show. When asked if the prosecution would consider this case a loss, Norman replied, “Yes.”
Family and friends react
Killebrew said she was told by postal service inspector Dwayne Martin on the day of Sherry’s death that Dampeer would, at minimum, receive 25 years to life in prison. Now, seemingly far from that verdict, she feels her family has been misled throughout the entire process. She wants the community, state, and country to fight for justice for her mother — and she wants the story of her dealings with U.S. government attorneys to be heard.
In an interview with The Star-Herald, Killebrew said she feels the prosecution gave up following Dampeer’s first psychiatric evaluation.
“It seems they’ve just given up. It’s like the psychiatrist has the last call, which the way it seems to me, is just unreal. And what gets me more than anything is that our attorneys, that were given to us, seem to not even be trying to find any way to deem him sane at the time,” said Killebrew. “If you ask me, running from the cops is sane. You know you did a crime. Why are you running? Did he hold any normal conversations that day? They just don’t seem to be even digging to figure out a way to prove he was sane at the time.”
She said her biggest question is how Dampeer can potentially be proven not guilty due to insanity, rather than proven both insane and guilty of her mother’s murder.
She is also frustrated with how many times the trial has been continued.
“Our own attorneys agree with whatever the defense lawyer wants,” said Killebrew. “If Roland Dampeer and his attorney want a continuance, they get a continuance, which is why it has been pushed back.”
Killebrew also shuddered at the thought that Dampeer could one day be released.
“They say that he is going to plead not guilty due to insanity, and we're going to accept that. That's what I've been told. We will accept that, and then what happens is he will be reevaluated each year, so to speak. And the year he gets re-evaluated, guess what? He's not crazy anymore, he takes his medicine, and he's going to be back out on the street. And then guess what? He’s going to quit taking his medicine and he's going to kill somebody else,” she said. “So, (the prosecution) has failed us in every way possible. They're losing a case and they don't even care. It's ‘Give me my paycheck, and I don't care. We don't care,’” she said.
She said she feels the prosecution is not only failing the Ingold family but everyone else who could potentially face Dampeer if he is released someday.
She also said the prosecution told the family from the beginning not to talk to the media, which she regrets.
“They asked us in the beginning, ‘Don't talk to the media. Don't talk to anybody. We got y'all. We got this,’ and now I see why,” she said. “They didn't have us. They didn't want us getting her story out there so that it could just be a kick under the rug. They didn't want us speaking out, and I'm kind of upset that I haven't spoken out more than I'm going to be doing because I feel like maybe we would have gotten a little further,” she said.
Vickie Dees Gove told The Star-Herald that their family deserves justice and to know the full details of what transpired that day.
“We deserve to know exactly what happened. We deserve to know what (Dampeer) was thinking, especially now that he's sane. We deserve justice. Justice is the thing that we're not getting, and we're not getting it because of the laws. Instead of fighting it, they're hiding behind the law,” she said of the prosecutors. “(Norman) told us right there in that room, that the law has their hands tied. The law doesn't have their hands tied. They're not looking for a way to untie it.”
Gove believes Dampeer acted with the intent to kill Ingold and questioned why the prosecution is unable to prove its case or push for a jury trial.
“We need a jury of our peers. I think it's unfair that we're not getting that because they believe they can't prove their case,” Sherry Ingold’s best friend said. “How could you not prove your case? She was shot in the head. Not in the leg. Not in the arm. In the head. He shot to kill. He had no mercy.”
Gove and Killebrew hope to see an outpouring of support at the trial which will likely be held without a jury at this point.
“We want a thousand people to show up at that courtroom at that trial and say, ‘We want justice.’ Nobody has gotten any type of justice unless they showed up at the courthouse with signs in a peaceful manner,” said Gove. “I also would like for everybody to upgrade their purple bows on their mailboxes to show support.”
As she ended her interview with The Star-Herald, Gove summed up her love for Ingold.
“We miss her. We’ve been friends since we were three years old. It’s not right, but she deserves justice,” said Gove.
Killebrew said she will not give up, and she does not want others to, either. She wants family, friends, and community members alike to spread the word about her mother’s case and the fight for justice. Her mother, she said, would be fighting for someone else in a similar situation.
“Roland Dampeer deserves nothing less than the rest of his entire life spent behind bars and the innocent Sherry Ingold deserves all of the support in the world and for us to stand up and fight for her,” Ingold’s daughter said. “To anyone reading this, if the roles were switched, she would be right here fighting for you!”
Killebrew then said that it isn’t just a fight for justice, but a fight for the safety of the community going forward.
“I understand it’s been two years, and if you want to forget her memory after justice has been served and this murderer is locked up for life, then that’s understandable. I understand people want to just get back to life and continue it on, but please, please don’t give up on my Mama while we are still fighting to keep this man behind bars,” said Killebrew. “She needs you. The community needs you. The world needs you. If we want a safe place to live, we have to fight for what is right. Help us spread the word, get it on the news, share Facebook posts, put your purple ribbons back on your mailbox, get this story back in the spotlight, or you or a loved one could be his next victim.”
