Butler’s Go Fund Me page taken down

Last week Talisha Butler shot Christopher Johnson in case that has become the centerpiece of a conversation about domestic violence in Vicksburg.

Friends and family quickly let the story be known that Butler had tried to end her relationship with her baby’s dad, Chris Johnson. She had, according to family and friends, filed police reports and followed the legal process to keep Johnson away from her. After Johnson’s death, Butler turned herself in to the police knowing they had all the records of the calls she had made over the past year or so.

Butler was arrested and charged with first-degree murder according to state law. Municipal Judge Carpenter also followed the law and set the bail for Butler at $500,000 meaning Butler had to come up with $50,000 to be at home with her kids while she awaited trial. Judge Carpenter then bound Butler over to Warren County. Butler’s attorney, Mike Bonner, asked for a special hearing with Judge Marcie Southerland to reconsider the bond. He requested a $50,000 bond because of the special circumstances of the case and Butler has a one-year-old child at home. That hearing was held on Friday, July 17. District Attorney Ricky Smith, who has a long record of being a very tough prosecutor of criminal acts, did not object to the bond reduction.

“There are mitigating factors and she has a one-year-old at home,” said DA Smith. “This is unusual and rare for a bond amount to be reduced this much and to be done so this quickly’ added Smith.

Butler’s long time friend, Paige Marie Moore, had set up a GoFundMe page to assist Butler with her bond and long legal fight. Today Moore received a message that the page was not eligible to receive funds because it violated the terms & conditions of GoFundMe.

“We are writing to inform you that your GoFundMe campaign has been removed…”

The terms and conditions say GoFundMe cannot be used “…for the legal defense of alleged crimes associated with hate, violence, harassment, bullying…” Moore is in the process of appealing the decision but that is an arduous process that may take weeks. Those who have donated funds that have not been distributed will receive their money back in the next 3 – 7 business days, according to the notice.

“5000 dollars later!!!! They could have said all of this when the 1st dollar was donated,” wrote Talisha Butler when she was informed the donations page had been removed. The $5000 or so dollars that had been donated to that point would have helped Butler with her legal expenses.

In an effort to get some help Butler has set up another way to receive funds on a PayPal page to take donations.