Marco McMillian Case: Deputy says Lawrence Reed confessed to the Murder of Marco

New movement on the Marco McMillian case.

To recap, Marco McMillian was a mayor candidate who was gay. He was also murdered by Lawrence Reed, a guy he was reportedly seeing. Lawrence claimed that Marco tried to rape him and he was forced to defend himself. However, the evidence tells a different story though.

Here's more:

Reed doesn't dispute that he killed McMillian, but claims he acted in self-defense after McMillian, who was gay, tried to rape him. Premeditation and motive are the crucial issues in the trial, and if a jury believes Reed, they might not convict him of murder.

Prosecutors say McMillian didn't try to attack Reed.

"This version of the story does not match the physical evidence," Quitman County District Attorney Brenda Mitchell said Monday of Reed's defense. "This case is not a case of who done it but why he did it."

McMillian's body was found near the Mississippi River levee in Coahoma County, after being doused with gasoline and set on fire. Authorities say the killing happened in Quitman County.

Lord, this case is still going on. Marco was murdered in February 2013. Here is my posts on Marco McMillian.

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Question of the Day

Was there a trial or anything pertaining to the death of Marco McMillian?

Why has his murder/story been silent for about a year now?

Update on the Marco McMillian Murder Case

Here's a small update on the Marco McMillian case.

Circuit Court Judge Charles Webster has heard all of the details of the investigation, including phone records between Marco and Lawrence Reed, the man accused of killing him.

Now, Judge Webster is allowing prosecutors to move forward in the case.
Again, this is small news, but I want to keep folks updated about this case.

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Marco McMillian's Family asks for the Justice Department to assist in the Investigation

The autopsy of Mississippi mayoral candidate Marco McMillian has led to more questions. His family doesn't think enough is being done, so they held a press conference hoping for the Justice Department to get involved

Marco McMillian's Autopsy Report released

Finally, we learn some info about Marco McMillian's death. In the autopsy report, Lawrence Reed confessed to killing Marco and dumping his body in the river.

But that's not all:

The report says blunt force trauma most likely contributed to Clarkdale mayoral candidate Marco McMillian’s death, but the cause of death is listed as “asphyxia by undetermined etiology,” which is the medical branch dealing with causes. That means McMillian died from a lack of oxygen, but exactly what caused that could not be determined.

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Without naming Reed, the autopsy report said the man who was in the wreck in McMillian’s SUV “admitted to killing Mr. McMillian and dumping his body near the levee.” Authorities have previously said that Reed was alone when he crashed McMillian’s vehicle.

The report said McMillian’s body was unclothed.

The report also said there were abrasions and lacerations on McMillian’s head, back and legs and multiple “areas of second and third degree burns.”

A previous report, the preliminary finding from the autopsy on Feb. 28, said the cause of death was pending and that the trauma to McMillian’s head was “non-lethal.” That document also said the burns happened “peri-mortem,” meaning at or near the time of death.

The May 1 report said it could not be determined if the burns happened before or after McMillian’s death.

McMillian’s family released a statement March 3 that said his body was “beaten, dragged and burned,” leading some to assume it was dragged by a car.

But the coroner, Scotty Meredith, said at the time that McMillian was not dragged by a car, though he was dragged out of a vehicle by someone and his body left near the levee.

So, at this time there's no hate crime charge, but there are still some questions about the motive and what's really going on with Lawrence Reed.

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Marco McMillian Case: Suspect Lawrence Reed released to Mississippi

Update on the Marco McMillian case:

The suspect in the slaying of a mayoral candidate was released to Mississippi authorities on Wednesday, an official said.

Lawrence Reed 22, is charged with murder in the death of 33-year-old Marco McMillian.

Coahoma County authorities took Reed into custody Wednesday afternoon, Chip Washington, a spokesman for the Shelby County sheriff's office in Tennessee, told The Associated Press.

Reed had been in the Shelby County jail since being released from a Memphis hospital where he was taken after wrecking McMillian's car on Feb. 26. McMillian was nowhere to be found and his body was found the next day near a Mississippi River levee in Coahoma County.

It wasn't immediately clear where Reed was being taken. A spokesman for the Coahoma County Sheriff's Office had no immediate comment.

The case has received widespread attention because McMillian's campaign says he may have been the first viable, openly gay candidate for office in Mississippi. He was running for mayor of Clarksdale in the Mississippi Delta.

Authorities haven't released any possible motive or cause of death. Autopsy results have not been released because authorities have been waiting for the results of toxicology tests.

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, has asked the FBI to review the case for possible hate crime charges. The FBI has said it has been monitoring the investigation since March 1.

No Mention of Marco McMillian's life as a Gay Man at Funeral

Marco McMillian's funeral was this past Saturday. While many gathered to say goodbye to him, no one talked about or mentioned his gay life. In fact, no one spoke... There was nothing but silence.

Janell Ross at HuffPo reports:

At the end of a long center aisle sat a slate blue casket. The swollen, partially charred body of her only son, Marco McMillian, lay inside, obscured by a gauzy white veil. She nearly fainted and did not speak. 

Instead, between a gospel choir’s offerings, national and local dignitaries drew attention to McMillian’s drive, talent and intellect. McMillian’s own family, friends and fraternity returned again and again to McMillian’s decision to move back to his small Mississippi hometown and run for mayor, his high-wattage smile, his fondness for debate and habit of referring to family and friends as “my love.” But not one person spoke into a microphone Saturday about the precedent McMillian had already set before he died.

And...

It’s difficult to parse what portion of the silence around the precedent-setting nature of McMillian’s campaign or even the much-debated cause of his death should be attributed to homophobia in Clarksdale, an overwhelmingly black Delta community of 18,000. In much of the Deep South, mores limit public discussions of sex and sexuality. And almost nowhere in the country would a collection of bereaved family and friends deviate from the standard script of life accomplishments, endearing quirks and good deeds at a funeral.

It hurts to hear that this part of his life was closed and not mentioned. Whether they like it or not, Marco was gay and out. He was free and true to himself, they can't hide it or deny it. His friends and family should do him justice and acknowledge all the pieces in his life.

Marco McMillian's killer claims that he was Defending himself

This Marco McMillian case is getting out of hand.

Here is more info about what supposedly happened from the alleged killer, Lawrence Reed:

The sisters who live in the home say Reed stopped by their house just before he crashed McMillian's truck, and ended up in the hospital. "He was supposed to have taken him to a party in Marks, but you know, they didn't ever make it," one sister says.

Clarksdale is a small town with a lot of talk. The sisters asked to not be identified because of what they call, "small town politics."

In Clarskdale, everyone's taking a side. Reed's roommate, Kamillia Evans, told abc24.com just days after the murder, "If he did do it he was defending himself."

Lamar Kearney is a Clarksdale resident who doesn't believe the claim, "That don't sound like self defense to me."

However, the sisters say Reed told them everything. Just after midnight on February 26, their youngest sister received a panicked call from Reed. One sister says, "He called at 12:11am and he told her that the dude (McMillian) was trying to rape him. He was exposing himself to him, playing with himself, telling him to do things and then he'll take him home."

He told the girl he was on a back road and couldn't get away. A few minutes later a bruised, bloody and broken Reed showed up at their back porch. "He just looked like he had been through war..." one sister describes, "He was standing in the back, back here, telling God to forgive him. He didn't mean to do it, and he was saying that he just wanted to die."

She says when Reed couldn't get away from McMillian, he used the chain on his wallet to choke the 200 pound politician. "He was shaking real hard, he was crying real hard, he was circling, begging for somebody to talk to him."

The sisters say Reed was inconsolable and, they believe, suicidal. "When he left out, he just drove out, sped up and hit a white truck head on."

What is really going on?

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The FBI are getting involved with the Marco McMillian case

The FBI are getting involved with Marco McMillian's death.

Here's more:

The agency "will assess evidence to determine whether federal prosecution is appropriate," Deborah Madden, an FBI public affairs specialist, said Wednesday.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and the National Black Justice Coalition, both separately urged the federal government Tuesday to seek potential hate crime charges in a case that has grabbed national attention.

But what, exactly, constitutes a hate crime? What is Mississippi's track record on reporting and prosecuting them? And does the homicide of Marco McMillian, 33, who also was black, fit the profile?

"A hate crime is motivated by animosity toward a particular group of persons rather than a particular person," said Mark Potok, senior fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center, a Montgomery, Ala.-based nonprofit group that tracks hate, intolerance and discrimination.

Mississippi has a hate-crime law that covers race, religion and gender but doesn't extend to sexual orientation. However, local and state agencies can seek assistance to pursue a federal hate crime under the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which does cover homosexuality.

Or the FBI can come in to investigate at the request of an outside source, as in the McMillian case.

The FBI defines a hate crime as a "criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, ethnic origin or sexual orientation."

I hope they could solve this

Mississippi Congressman wants FBI to Review Marco McMillian’s Death

A Mississippi congressman Bennie Thompson asked the FBI to look into the murder of the openly gay mayoral candidate Marco McMillian. There is belief that some federal laws could have been violated.

Here's more:

Thompson, a Democrat, said Tuesday that he has confidence in the sheriff investigating the death but that he wants the FBI to get involved because that’s what McMillian’s family wants.

"If another set of eyes looking at it would provide additional information, I think it would be helpful to the McMillian family," Thompson told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

Also...

Mississippi’s hate crimes law covers acts motivated by bias against a victim’s race but not sexual orientation. However, a federal hate crimes law covers bias against sexual orientation. Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said the FBI could determine if a hate crimes charge should be considered.

I don't care who says what, this is a hate crime. Marco's death is a hate crime. Pure and simple.

Mississippi Gay Mayoral Candidate was dragged and Burned

More details about the Mississippi mayoral candidate Marco McMillian's death.

He was beaten, dragged and burned.

Here's more:

“We feel this was not a random act of violence based on the condition of the body when it was found,” the McMillian family said. “Marco, nor anyone, should have their lives end in this manner.”

The family, which said it learned details of the murder from the coroner, asked for a full and thorough investigation into the 33-year-old’s death.

The Coahoma County Sheriff’s Department, which is leading the investigation, didn’t immediately have a response to the family’s statement.

Marco McMillian’s body was found near the Mississippi River. Lawrence Reed has been charged for Marco's death. At this time, the murder is not considered as a hate crime.

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Was Mississippi Mayoral candidate Marco McMillian's murder due to a Crime of Passion or Gay Panic?

Interesting news about the murder of Mississippi Mayoral candidate Marco McMillian and his alleged murderer Lawrence Reed. Apparently, there are a couple of versions of this story. Some say the men were romantically involved and some say Reed 'panicked' when Marco hit on him in a bar.

Here's more

Little is known about Reed, 22, except that he graduated from Broad Street High School in the nearby community of Shelby and had since moved into an apartment in Clarksdale.

Friends of Reed told Memphis television station WPTY that the two recently had met at a Clarksdale bar and became close. Then, sometime either late Monday night or early Tuesday morning, McMillian made sexual advances on Reed, the friends said, adding that Reed is straight.

The Clarion-Ledger couldn’t reach Reed’s friends, but it’s also the version of events investigators were told. After being hit on, Reed allegedly snapped, strangled McMillian, then drove McMillian’s SUV to the levee west of Clarksdale and tossed his body near the river.

Which story is true? And will the possible 'Gay Panic' defense work?

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UPDATE: Mississippi Gay Mayor Candidate Found Dead.... Man Arrested for the Murder

Gay Mississippi mayoral candidate, Marco McMillian was found dead a couple days ago. His death is being investigated as a homicide.

Coahoma County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday in a news release on its Facebook page that the body of 34-year-old Marco McMillian, a Democratic candidate for mayor of Clarksdale, Miss., was found in Coahoma County earlier in the day.

The body was found in the woods near the Mississippi-Yazoo levee, about 30 miles away from a roadway where McMillian's car crashed while being driven by another person, County Coroner Scotty Meredith said.

Meredith added that investigators were treating the case as a homicide until they could prove otherwise.

A person of interest was in custody, but had not been formally charged, Will Rooker, a spokesman for the Coahoma County Sheriff's Office, told ABC News.

Police did not identify the person of interest.

This is horrible news. There is so much running in my head. More to come on this story.

UPDATE a man was arrested today:

A 22-year-old man was charged with murder Thursday in the death of a mayoral candidate in the Mississippi Delta. 

The Coahoma County Sheriff's Department said in a news release that Lawrence Reed of Shelby was charged in the death of Marco McMillian. McMillian, 34, was a candidate for mayor of Clarksdale and was well-known in the community and beyond.
An investigation began Tuesday when a man crashed McMillian's SUV into another car on U.S. Highway 49 near the Coahoma and Tallahatchie county lines. The candidate wasn't in the car.

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