Man convicted in Jackson County of attacking his ex-girlfriend with a machete

A Jackson County jury convicted a man of attacking his ex-girlfriend with a machete and causing life-threatening injuries.

Mitchell Roy Herrington, 57, was found guilty of aggravated assault and sentenced to 20 years in prison without the possibility of parole at a three-day trial.

Evidence showed that Herrington “savagely attacked his ex-girlfriend” on May 30, 2018, according to a release from the District Attorney’s office for Jackson, George and Greene counties.

Herrington attacked the victim after she asked him to leave, the release said. He went to a liquor store after the crime. In his defense, Herrington claimed he was sleep walking at the time of the attack.

Assistant District Attorney Bill Barrett said “the truth was revealed at trial and the jury rejected his false claims and excuses.”

First responders brought the victim to Ocean Springs Hospital for treatment.

“The jury heard the victim’s voice today,” District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath said in the press release.