Man Charged in Gay Mayoral Candidate’s Miss. Murder
Authorities in Mississippi said Thursday they had charged a man with the death of Clarksdale mayoral candidate Marco McMillian, described by a national organization as one of the first viable openly gay office-seekers in the state.
The Coahoma County Sheriff’s Department issued a statement saying Lawrence Reed, 22, of Shelby, Miss., was charged in the death of McMillian, 34.
The cause of death was not released, and the sheriff’s office did not offer a motive.
Politics probably wasn’t a factor in McMillian’s death, Coahoma County Coroner Scotty Meredith said.
McMillian’s body was found near the Mississippi River on Wednesday after a search that began when his SUV crashed into another vehicle early that morning. The candidate was not in the car. Reed was.
Offering condolences to McMillian’s family on Twitter, the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a national group promoting the election of gay, lesbian and transgender candidates, called him “one of the 1st viable openly #LGBT candidates in Mississippi.”