By Emily D. Williams

A man charged with a Fourth of July murder in Batesville was denied a reduction in his million dollar bond during Batesville Municipal Court Wednesday.

Desmond Robinson, 21-A Lamar Thomas, Batesville, made his first appearance in court since his arrest on July 4 for the murder of Douglas McArthur Ellis Jr., 35.
Robinson asked the judge to reduce his bond.

“No,” Judge Jay Westfaul replied.

A preliminary hearing was set for the next Wednesday in city court.

Judge Westfaul had appointed public defender David Walker as Robinson’s lawyer.

“I understand you do not want him at this time?” Westfaul asked the defendant.

“My family’s talking to Kevin Horan,” Robinson replied.

Horan has not been hired so Westfaul told Robinson he would keep David Walker as his lawyer until he was able to retain another one.

Around 1:15 a.m. on July 4, police were called to Martin Luther King Dr. where the victim was found lying in the grass, according to police incident report.

He died from a gunshot wound, according to Coroner Gracie Grant-Gulledge.
The case is still under investigation.

Panolian files reveal that Robinson was among a group of men arrested for animal cruelty and felony dog fighting  March 2, 2011.

The arrests were made on Lamar Thomas Road when Panola sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of dog fighting in progress.

Four men were charged and two pit bulls were seized, according to the March 4, 2011 edition of The Panolian.