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The McMillian Campaign / Reuters
Marco McMillian, a candidate for mayor of the Mississippi Delta city of Clarksdale, is shown in this undated campaign photograph released to Reuters on Feb. 27, 2013.
The FBI said Thursday that it was monitoring the investigation into the killing of a black and openly gay mayoral candidate in Mississippi whose burned and beaten body was found on the Mississippi River levee outside town last week.
Marco McMillian, a candidate for mayor of Clarksdale, population about 20,000, was found dead last Wednesday. His family said he was beaten, dragged and set ablaze -- a death that "was not a random act of violence," they said in a statement.
Authorities have arrested Lawrence Reed, who is also black, and charged him with murder in connection with the case. They say the killing is not being handled as a hate crime, though the FBI could determine whether to file a federal hate crime charge, which covers acts motivated by bias against sexual orientation, The Associated Press reported.
Mississippi’s hate crimes law does not cover acts motivated by sexual orientation.
After learning of the circumstances surrounding McMillian's death, special agents from the FBI's Jackson division made contact with the local sheriff's department and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation last Friday.
"In this case, the FBI will continue its ongoing dialogue and sharing of information with the local and state agencies, and will continue to monitor this investigation for any indication that a potential violation of federal law exists," Daniel McMullen, special agent in charge of the FBI for Mississippi, said in a statement.
Related: Mayoral candidate's death shocks Mississippi town
The candidate's sport-utility vehicle was involved in a head-on collision in Coahoma County in the Mississippi Delta early last week. Reed had been driving when the accident occurred, but McMillian was not in the vehicle, triggering a search for him, according to media reports.
McMillian had moved back home from Memphis in January to vie for office as a Democrat. He was one of the first viable openly gay candidates to run for office in Mississippi, according to the Victory Fund, a national organization that supports gay and lesbian candidates.
Friends said his sexual orientation was known and was not an issue, according to a local newspaper, The Clarion Ledger.
On Sunday, McMillian's family said in a statement his body was “beaten, dragged and burned,” indicating that he had been pulled behind a car.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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"The Times reports Meredith as saying McMillian’s body was found unclothed, with a black eye and two small burns on his skin. Those injuries were not the cause of his death and the cause was still not confirmed pending the completion of the toxicology tests, he told the Times." (That would be NY Times)
Meredith is the coroner. Seems the family has stirred up the press and the LBGT folks. Final coroners report is due by end of next week.
I guess that would be the black sheriff framing the black guy for the murder of a black guy . . . .
It isn't always about race.
Authorities have arrested Lawrence Reed, who is also black, and charged him with murder in connection with the case. They say the killing is not being handled as a hate crime, though the FBI could determine whether to file a federal hate crime charge, which covers acts motivated by bias against sexual orientation. (Italics added)
And this isn't considered a hate crime because the man arrested is of the same color? So no "hate" was involved? Incredible.
The only justice for this man who lost his life in a tragic way is for the FBI to determine it WAS a hate crime and throw out the double standards. People are people, and a hate crime is still a hate crime no matter the skin color Leave the race card out of it.
Beaten, dragged and burned, and one has to wonder in what order, and whether he was yet alive while being dragged behind an automobile.
It certainly sounds like a hate-crime. Least ways, if that's not hate, I hope nobody from Mississippi ever takes a strong dislike to me.
Read my first post. The coroner says the family grossly misunderstood what he told them. Always go to other sources if you don't want to be manipulated by NBCLite.
About time. Now if MSNBC could get the story correct.........................
OMG! First I've heard of this, sick to my stomach. This is horrific. Prayers for his family and friends. So sad.
Plus, makes me think about SCOTUS Scalia's comments last week. He makes it sound like racism is dead.
Also, makes me think of those GOP run state legislatures that are busy trying to pass bills that would exclude LGBT folks from protections - ya know, because we dont' discriminate anyone, so why have laws specfying particular groups. Sexual orientation entitlement?
It sounds like more that just a carjacking or other random act.
We still hold a lot of prejudices, be they about race, ethic heritage, sexual orientation, gender, religion, etc. These prejudices are usually about something we don't fully understand so we then assign so stereotypical attributes to it. There are geographical differences too and what those in the North view as racism may seem perfectly fine to other in the South.
I hear people say things like, "I'm not prejudiced, I just can't stand those people because they are all so..."
Some think that if they don't actively participate in some organized oppressive behaviors, they get a pass. "I'm not racist. I don't belong to the KKK or anything like that."
I think it is human nature to hold biases and we all have them. They may be fine for instinctive responses, but we are better off if we leave them out of thoughtful analysis. One really needs to work at it to keep from being unconsciously driven by those biases. Recognizing that we have them is important. We learn from our experiences, but it is easy to shape what we learn by the biases we already hold. Did we learn something new or did we just use a new experience to justify our biases?
My biggest problem with Scalia is that he likes to just blurt out whatever is on his mind. He has a tendency to say things in such a way as to make controversy even worse. It seems like he is often seeking a reaction. I believe he is a smart guy but maybe lets his personal opinions get in the way. I have no doubt he is someone who holds a lot of prejudices which make up his ideology. I think part of his problem stems from the fact that he did not really work his way up through the judicial system. He really is an elitist who has enormous confidence in his own opinions to the point of arrogance.
I believe that Scalia knows a lot about history which is a plus when dealing with Constitutional issues, however my sense is that he decides a case before he hears it and then works toward supporting his position. Personally I see that as a trait that a lot of hard core conservatives have. They tend to see most issues as black or white and tend to have their minds made up about most things with little room for changing their minds as new evidence presents itself. Scalia will say what he thinks and will make little effort to ever consider political correctness. I think that comes from the fact that he is completely sure that he is correct and therefore showslittle sensitivity to other's views which are obviously wrong.
"Blutowski 4.0
Could be gang related or a drug debt. It could also be the family of some one he molested. Or crooked cops.
This story has all the makings of a Lifetime Movie of the week."
You're an idiot.