Mississippi prepares for first execution in nearly a decade

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Last Thursday, the Mississippi Supreme Court set a Nov. 17 execution date for David Neal Cox and correctional officers have begun preparations to carry out the state’s first execution since 2012.

In May of 2010, Cox shot his wife, Kim, twice and then sexually assaulted his stepdaughter in front of her as she slowly bled to death. In court, Cox plead guilty to all charges and was sentenced to death by the jury.

Cox withdrew his appeals and was found by a Union County Circuit Court to be competent to do so. That decision was appealed by the Mississippi Office of Capital Post-Conviction Counsel and brought before the Mississippi Supreme Court for a final ruling.

In 2018, Cox sent a handwritten letter to the district attorney which said “if I had my perfect way & will about it I’d ever so gladly dig my dead sarkastic wife up whom I very happilly and premeditatedly slaughtered on 5-21-2010 & with eager pleasure kill” her again.

A month later he sent another letter, this time to the chief justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court, saying that he wanted to relinquish all appeals, fire his attorneys and requested that the Court set an execution date.

When the appeal was brought before the Supreme Court on Thursday, the justices granted his request. Now, the Mississippi Department of Corrections has begun weekly rehearsals to prepare for the execution.