Family members and friends of 2019 slaying victim William “Will” Polk gathered Saturday, Aug. 27, outside the Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Charleston to “pray for justice” in the upcoming trials of three suspects charged with his gruesome death.
Local Baptist minister Ben Kennedy, a longtime pastor and friend of some of the family, led the crowd of about 40 in prayer.
“I pray for this family in the days ahead, in the months ahead, when this trial starts. They’re going to hear some things that are going to hurt. They’re going to hear more details, old wounds are going to be opened and they’re going to need you, Lord,” he said.
“I pray for the legal proceedings. ... I pray for a swift trial. I pray for an accurate trial. I pray for a fair trial, and that the verdict that comes back may be pleasing to you first and foremost, and may it bring some comfort to this family. ... Through all of this, help us not to become bitter and angry. ... Help us to lean on you and to lean on each other. Help us to love like never before.”
Polk’s second cousin, Scarlett Campbell, who organized Saturday’s event and who has been one of the most publicly outspoken and visible advocates for him and the pursuit of justice in the wake of his death, spoke to the crowd before Kennedy prayed.
“Today, we are asking that you join us in praying that a 12-person jury panel, when presented with the evidence, will convict, and prosecute, the three on trial to the fullest extent of the law; that God will guide and lead them to an undeniable conviction of [Will’s] murderers,” she said, reading from her own prepared remarks.
“We will pray for law enforcement and the judge presiding over the trial. We will pray that those responsible for Will’s heinous murder will never again be released into society to do this to someone else’s family.”
It was Campbell who originated and championed the use of the term "Will's Pack" to designate supporters of the family and their campaign for justice.
Campbell said the term, which is derived from "wolf pack," is appropriate for supporters of Will Polk and his family and friends.
Some of the character traits of the wolf are that they stand strong in a world ready to devour anyone, are fiercely protective of their loved ones, are brave warriors, are relentless and are empowered and emboldened even in the darkness.
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William “Will” Polk, 23, who lived with his family on Melton Road in the Brazil community of northwestern Tallahatchie County, went missing on Oct. 10, 2019.
Will Polk
According to reports, that was the day he went to Crowder, in nearby Quitman County, to see 36-year-old April Jones, whom he had been dating. The two were last seen together on that date, when both went missing.
The full account of what transpired in the ensuing months and almost three years since the disappearances reads much like the script for a blockbuster Hollywood murder mystery or a tragic real-life documentary.
Much of it can be found on a Facebook page created by Campbell under the title, “Missing/Murdered: Will Polk.” There, a video of Campbell’s full remarks at Saturday’s event also is available for viewing.
In 2021, according to Campbell, investigators found “the remains of his decapitated and burned skull and hand ... at a residence in Lambert.”
She said Polk was “shot, dismembered and burned” as part of a double homicide that also reportedly included Jones.
Three suspects arrested in June 2021 in Quitman County were variously charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder and desecration of a human corpse. It is their trials that are scheduled to begin later this month.
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Questioned at Saturday’s event, Will’s mother, Amanda Polk Smith, said she hopes and prays for “some kind of justice” but does not necessarily advocate for the death penalty.
“I’m not going to wish for death on nobody,” she noted. “I’m just ... hoping that God does what He’s supposed to and takes care of them.”
Three months after Will’s disappearance, his younger brother Braxton died in an automobile crash, leaving their mother; their father, Paul Smith; and their two sisters, Brittney Polk and McKinna Smith, to mourn both of their losses.
“It’s been really hard, just trying to keep it together and trying to keep us together,” said Amanda.
However, with breakthroughs in the case and building momentum within the past year, she said the situation has gotten “a little better,” adding, “We’re not as anxious. We’re not as worried.”
Campbell, as other family members do, realizes the mood will shift as the trial nears.
During her remarks Saturday, Campbell asked for prayers that Will’s family “will have a hedge of protection placed around their hearts, soul and sanity” so they can bear what they will hear in a Quitman County courtroom about the death of their loved one.
At that time, she added, “The remaining nightmares of what else happened ... will be heard by Will’s family for the first time.”
