Union County Man To Stay On Death Row

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – A Mississippi death row inmate has failed to persuade the Mississippi Supreme Court that news coverage and the prominence of the victim’s family in Union County denied him an impartial jury at his sentencing.

The court on Thursday upheld the death sentence given David Neal Cox Sr.

Cox pleaded guilty to murder in the 2010 fatal shooting of his wife, Kim Kirk Cox. Authorities say Cox shot his wife and held his son and stepdaughter hostage until deputies forced their way into the home and arrested him.

Cox argued the sentencing should have been moved because his wife came from a well-known family of law enforcement officers.

Prosecutors say Cox offered only one witness and four newspaper articles – all insufficient to support a change of venue

DAVID COX