Mississippi
State responds after MS death row inmate Crawford asks US Supreme Court to stop execution
Executions in Mississippi: What to know
A look at the process of determining when and how a prisoner on death row in Mississippi should be executed.
More than a week after Charles Ray Crawford filed an emergency petition in the U.S. Supreme Court to stop his execution, the State of Mississippi is asking the Court to deny Crawford’s request.
Crawford, 59, has spent more than 30 years on death row and is scheduled to face execution at 6 p.m. Oct. 15, at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman for the 1993 kidnapping, rape and murder of a Mississippi college student.
Crawford filed two petitions Oct. 1 with the U.S. Supreme Court, one requesting an emergency stay of execution and the other seeking to have his case reviewed on claims of Sixth Amendment violations during his trial.
In a 38-page response filed Thursday, Oct. 9, the state refuted Crawford’s claims, asserting that he “has refused the process he was due, his punishment is just, and his execution will be constitutional.”
The state contends Crawford’s filings are a last-minute effort to halt his execution, years after the case was decided and far too late to be raised now.
The states stated that any “irreparable injury” to Crawford would be because “his lawful death sentence was finally carried out — not because this Court denies a stay.”
“His guilt is not in question — petitioner no doubt committed the crime that sent him to death row,” the state’s Oct. 9 response reads. “Petitioner was sentenced to death by a Mississippi jury in 1994. Three decades of litigation have not demonstrated constitutional errors occurred at trial. The Mississippi Supreme Court has upheld his conviction and sentence four times, and lower federal courts have denied him habeas relief. This Court has denied certiorari review at every turn.”
Crawford was convicted and sentenced to death in 1994 for the 1993 kidnapping, rape and murder of Kristy Ray from her Tippah County home in the Chalybeate community. Ray was a 20-year-old student at Northeast Mississippi Community College student.
In 1993, Crawford was out on bond awaiting trial on charges of aggravated assault and rape. Four days before the trial, Crawford broke into Ray’s home, left a ransom note to her family and abducted Ray from her parents’ home in Chalybeate — about 255 miles north of Jackson.
According to court records, Crawford took Ray to a barn, where Crawford handcuffed the community college student and stuffed a sock in her mouth before sexually assaulting her and stabbing her to death on a country road in northeast Mississippi’s Tippah County.
After Crawford’s family and attorney notified police that they feared Crawford was committing another crime, he was arrested.
“Petitioner initially told officers that he ‘didn’t know Kristy” or why officers wanted to speak to him,” the state’s response reads.
“When asked by FBI agents ‘if Kristy was alive,’ he ‘began to cry’ and ‘admit[ted] that Kristy was no longer alive.’ Petitioner then led officers to Kristy’s body, hidden in a wooded area near the abandoned barn. Her jeans had been ‘pulled down below her hips,’ her ‘hands were cuffed behind her back around a small cedar sapling,’ a ‘sock had been stuffed into her mouth, and a gag was around her head to keep it in place.’”
Court records state an autopsy later revealed Ray’s cause of death was “a large stab wound to the left mid-chest which punctured her heart and left lung, causing extensive internal and external hemorrhaging.” In addition, samples collected from the scene contained Ray and Crawford’s DNA.
More than 30 years after his 1994 conviction, Crawford’s current attorneys said his then-trial defense counsel conceded his guilt to the jury and prepared a defense arguing he was insane at the time of the crime — both stances Crawford opposed.
The attorneys stated defense counsel told jurors in guilt-phase closing arguments that Crawford was “‘legally responsible’ for the charged crimes and that he was ‘still dangerous to the community.’”
“Unsurprisingly,” the jury convicted Crawford and sentenced him to death, the attorneys say.
“Counsel made those sweeping concessions over petitioner’s repeated and vehement objections, which he expressed to both counsel and the trial court,” the Oct. 1 petition reads. “The trial court’s rejection of petitioner’s objections was a stark violation of the Sixth Amendment, which guarantees an accused the right to decide whether to permit counsel to concede guilt before the jury.”
The state responded by arguing that Crawford never instructed his counsel to maintain his innocence but instead to “‘vigorously advocate for acquittal’ which is exactly what counsel did.”
“Counsel pursued an insanity defense aimed at securing petitioner’s outright acquittal,” the state’s response reads. “The record reflects that counsel conceded underlying facts, yet at all times argued that Crawford was not guilty by reason of insanity.”
Seperately, Crawford’s attorneys filed a motion with the Mississippi Supreme Court requesting a rehearing on the setting of an execution date, arguing that no date should be set until his remedies with the U.S. Supreme Court are exhausted. The motion was denied Thursday, Oct. 9.
Pam Dankins is the breaking news reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at pdankins@gannett.com.
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Staff
A wood products manufacturer is set to create new jobs as part of a major expansion.
Carpenter Pole and Piling is investing nearly $5 million into its Wiggins, Mississippi, operation.
The expansion will add 10 new positions and support long-term growth in the region.
“Carpenter Pole and Piling is a true Mississippi success story, and we’re proud to see the company continue investing right here at home,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said.
“This expansion in Stone County is creating new opportunities for hardworking Mississippians while strengthening a company that has long contributed to our state’s economy,” Reeves said. “When Mississippi businesses grow, our communities grow with them, and we remain committed to fostering a business environment where companies can thrive.”
Carpenter Pole and Piling produces utility poles and pilings for marine and foundation use.
The project includes construction of a new treatment plant, investment in a 2,600-cubic-foot autoclave and an alternative treatment option to improve production capacity.
The company is also clearing and preparing an additional 20 acres for a new pole storage yard.
Stone County is also contributing to the project.
The company expects to complete construction by September 2026.
The new roles are expected to be filled by January 2027.
Carpenter Pole and Piling specializes in the production of utility poles. It also manufactures foundation and marine pilings.
The new autoclave will increase production and add an alternative treatment option.
This story was created by business and development writer Ross Reily, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more.
Mississippi
CBSB: Southern Miss sweeps again, Mississippi State shines in Texas, Ole Miss struggles – SuperTalk Mississippi
Southern Miss earned its second consecutive sweep, rounding out a mostly successful weekend of college baseball for Mississippi’s major programs.
The No. 12 Golden Eagles (10-1), fresh off a mercy-rule victory over Alabama, exited a hostile Louisiana Tech environment with three straight wins versus a former conference counterpart. Christian Ostrander’s crew won 8-3 on Friday, cruised to an 11-0 run-rule victory through seven innings on Saturday, and was on the good side of a 6-2 scoreboard in Sunday’s finale.
A three-run bomb by Kyle Morrison in the top of the fourth of Friday’s game put the black and gold up 5-3, and solid pitching carried the team the rest of the way. A six-run top of the fourth of Saturday’s game, in part due to a Matthew Russo 2 RBI single, broke a scoring stalemate and fueled Southern Miss to a win in a shortened matchup. A two-run long ball by Joey Urban in the top of the ninth of Sunday’s battle gave the Golden Eagles a buffer that would not be eclipsed.
Kros Sivley (2-0) was Friday’s winning pitcher after logging a pair of strikeouts in 1.2 innings. Grayden Harris (2-0) got the win on Saturday after fanning five batters and surrendering no runs through six complete innings. Camden Sunstrom (1-0) closed out the finale with the win after striking out two batters and not giving up a hit or a run in the final two frames.
Mississippi State wins two in Texas
The No. 4 Bulldogs (11-1) had a solid weekend in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series. Brian O’Connor’s club handled the weekend test with an 8-4 win over Arizona State, a 15-8 victory over Virginia Tech, and a heartbreaking 8-7 extra-innings loss to No. 1 UCLA.
Mississippi State broke a scoring hiatus on Friday with a strong bottom of the fifth. A Bryce Chance RBI single scored the game’s first run, then a Gehrig Frei homer put the Bulldogs up 4-0. Three insurance runs were added in the next offensive frame, and Mississippi State did not look back. On Saturday, an Ace Reece longball gave the maroon and white a 4-0 lead in the top of the second. Virginia Tech chipped away, cutting the deficit to two runs, until a five-run top of the seventh put things out of reach.
Sunday’s finale was a battle between two teams vying for bragging rights as the nation’s best. The Bruins took an early 3-0 lead, but Mississippi State quickly countered. A two-run bomb by Reed Stallman and an RBI double by Ryder Woodson knotted things up 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth. The Bulldogs added a run in the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings to lead 5-3.
A two-out home run by UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky tied the ballgame in the top of the ninth. Mississippi State, with runners on second and third and no outs in the bottom of the ninth, could not send a runner home. A wild pitch and a 2 RBI triple scored three Bruins in the top of the 10th. Stallman hit his second home run of the day to inch the Bulldogs within one run of their foe, but it was not followed up with more scoring.
Winning pitchers for Mississippi State this weekend were Ryan McPherson (2-0) and Tomas Valincius (3-0), while Ben Davis (0-1) was tabbed with the lone loss.
Ole Miss struggles in neutral-site tournament
In its first set of tests versus power conference opponents, the Rebels (10-2) struggled mightily, dropping two of three outings in the BRUCE BOLT College Classic. Mike Bianco’s club fell to Baylor 6-5 in extra innings on Friday before bouncing back on Saturday in an 8-0 win over Ohio State and suffering a 9-2 loss to Coastal Carolina in Sunday’s finale. Ole Miss was a combined 0-18 at the plate with runners in scoring position in the two losses.
Though the weekend didn’t play to the Rebels’ advantage, a few individual performers stood out. Murray State transfer Dom Decker, who entered his junior campaign without hitting a home run, hit three balls over the outfield wall at the Houston Astros’ Daikin Park. Hunter Elliott had a career-high 11 strikeouts on Friday, while Cade Townsend and Taylor Rabe collectively fanned 16 batters in Saturday’s shutout.
Next up
Southern Miss will play a pair of home midweek games, the first being against Mississippi State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and the second versus Nicholls on Wednesday at 6 p.m., before hosting North Alabama over the weekend.
Mississippi State will host Lipscomb over the weekend after facing the Golden Eagles.
Ole Miss will host Memphis on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and North Alabama on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., before welcoming Evansville for a weekend series.
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