GULFPORT —
A 42-year-old man charged with capital murder has died after apparently hanging himself while in a cell to change clothes for court.
The Harrison County Sheriff’s Department says the family of 42-year-old John Paul Necaise gave doctors permission Friday to take him off life support.
Necaise began the trial representing himself, but asked for a lawyer Tuesday evening.
The judge declared a mistrial after Necaise was found hanging by his belt in a cell where he went to change out of his jail uniform before Thursday’s session.
Necaise was accused of stabbing Francis Roberts in the back.
Roberts was reported missing Oct. 30; after a five-day search his body was found in woods near the Jefferson Davis Campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
State News
Suspect kills self while changing clothes for trial
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New rules, tests proposed for public aid in Miss.
People who receive public assistance would be subject to random testing for drugs or nicotine and would have to perform community service under new requirements being considered by Mississippi lawmakers.
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Home strengthening may lower insurance
Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said he is working with legislators on a bill that would require insurers to offer discounts to homeowners who have strengthened homes against wind damage.
State officials told the Sun Herald that they hope the reinforcement of roofing, doors, windows and other components also will qualify homeowners for insurance discounts, although there are no guarantees. -
Inmate asks courts to stop execution
Condemned inmate Edwin Hart Turner’s lawyer told a federal judge Friday that a corrections policy prevented Turner from getting tests that could prove he’s mentally ill and ineligible for execution.
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Pardoned killer to fight return to Mississippi
A convicted murderer who left Mississippi after being pardoned by former Gov. Haley Barbour seems poised to fight attempts to force him to return from Wyoming. Joseph Ozment’s attorney, Robert Moxley, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he will defend Ozment’s freedom if he decides to try to stay in Wyoming.
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Universities say financial aid fund running short
Recipients of state scholarships could see their aid packages trimmed unless the Mississippi Legislature puts more money into financial aid. That includes the more than 20,000 students who receive the Mississippi Tuition Assistance Grant.
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Bad info infuriated kin of pardoned man’s victims
In another twist in the often confusing aftermath of pardons granted by former Gov. Haley Barbour on his way out of office, Mississippi corrections officials said Tuesday that victims’ relatives were given bad information by the state that fanned their outrage.
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Bryant’s 1st Miss. budget carries ’lots of cuts’
Gov. Phil Bryant proposed Tuesday to cut state spending by $26 million to $5.49 billion in 2013 while also insisting on building $100 million in state reserves.
The newly inaugurated Republican summarized his first budget as a “lot of cuts,” saying he won’t raise taxes and that state revenues have yet to recover from the recession. -
Miss. schools request more cash in lean budget
Mississippi’s top education official is asking for an additional $305 million for the coming year — a request he acknowledges is unlikely to be fulfilled. State Superintendent of Education Tom Burnham told House budget writers Tuesday that the biggest part of the request is $255 million to meet requirements of a complex funding formula, the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.
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Major GOP ‘super PAC’ raised $51 million in 2011
American Crossroads, the Republican “super” political committee that plans to play a major role in this year’s presidential campaign, raised more than $51 million along with its nonprofit arm last year, The Associated Press has learned.
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Miss. AG: Pardoned killer found in Wyoming
A convicted killer pardoned by former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour was in Wyoming with his fiancee and tried to flee when he was found Sunday by investigators who served him with a court summons, authorities said Monday.
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New rules, tests proposed for public aid in Miss.






