JACKSON — The Mississippi Supreme Court has dismissed a petition for review filed by a Madison County man serving two life sentences for aggravated domestic violence.
Justices initially agreed in August to consider the case of Tyler Culberson, 31, but later determined there was no need for additional review and dismissed the writ of certiorari, according to an order issued en banc under Rule 17(f) of the Mississippi Rules of Appellate Procedure. The dismissal leaves in place Culberson’s convictions and consecutive life sentences without parole.
Culberson was convicted in 2023 on two counts of aggravated domestic violence following a two-day jury trial in Madison County Circuit Court. Prosecutors said Culberson strangled and beat his girlfriend at a home in Madison on Oct. 29, 2022, leaving her with bite marks, bruises, a black eye and a broken arm.
The next day, authorities said, he forced the woman’s car off North Old Canton Road in Madison County. Her vehicle went airborne, striking a tree and a utility pole. An eyewitness testified that Culberson had rammed her off the road with his car and was yelling at her when the vehicle crashed.
The woman told jurors she had endured months of abuse and was attempting to escape when the crash occurred.
Law enforcement agencies issued a “be on the lookout” for Culberson’s vehicle. The next night, Richland police located him, but he fled after giving a false name. He was later found hiding behind a daycare and taken into custody.
During the trial, the jury heard testimony from doctors, responding officers and a former victim who said Culberson assaulted her in a similar incident in 2016. Circuit Judge Bradley Mills ruled Culberson was a violent habitual offender based on prior convictions for aggravated domestic violence and motor vehicle theft. State law required two life sentences without the possibility of parole, to be served consecutively.
Madison County District Attorney Bubba Bramlett said the jury’s verdict ensured Culberson “will never hurt a woman again.”
With the state high court’s dismissal of his petition, Culberson’s sentences remain final.
