A Walthall County grand jury returned a murder indictment Thursday against a Jayess man accused of fatally stabbing Patrick Pigott in April 2013.
Walthall County sheriff’s deputies served 20-year-old Tyler Cupit, 27 Beartown Road, with the indictment, stemming from an initial arrest on April 14, 2013, after Pigott’s body was recovered the same day in a wooded area off Kelly Crawford Road in the northwestern part of the county.
Cupit was eventually released on an $800,000 bond.
He was taken into custody last week, renewed his bond and is free awaiting trial.
Pigott was last seen around March 31, 2013, at the home of 45-year-old William Stacy Smith, 413 Enochs St.
A search ensued when family and friends reported him missing on April 8, 2013, after he had not been seen or heard from.
His remains were badly decomposed at the time of the discovery, making identification difficult, Walthall County Coroner Shannon Hartzog said at the time.
Authorities say that Pigott and Cupit reportedly got into an altercation, resulting in both men being stabbed — though only Pigott died as a result of his injuries.
Smith, who owned the house where the altercation reportedly took place, was arrested on April 16 of last year on a charge of accessory after the fact to murder.
He was later released from the Walthall County jail after posting a $500,000 property bond.
The charge against Smith also was presented to the grand jury, though the district attorney’s office has not yet confirmed the result of the proceedings, and no indictment had been served as of this morning.
