North MS man will be first person executed in the state in nearly a decade
PARCHMAN, Miss. (WCBI) – In one day, a North Mississippi man will be the first person executed in the state in nearly a decade.
David Neal Cox asked to waive any more appeals of his capital murder conviction and death sentence. The Mississippi Supreme Court agreed. The execution date is set for tomorrow.
Earlier this year, Cox had expressed his desire to dismiss his lawyers and waive any further appeals. It was the latest in a number of attempts made by Cox.
The high court ordered a competency hearing in circuit court in Union County. The trial judge ruled that Cox was competent to make that decision.
Justices upheld that decision.
Cox pled guilty to killing his wife, sexually assaulting his stepdaughter, and holding the stepdaughter and his son hostage at their home in Sherman in 2010.
He was convicted and sentenced to death in 2012.
Mississippi has not executed anyone since 2012 due to questions about the effectiveness of the drugs used for lethal injection, and the availability of those drugs.
