JACKSON —
Federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty against a man who was declared dead in Mississippi in 1994 and surfaced years later as a suspect in the deaths of his Las Vegas girlfriend and her daughter.
Thomas Steven Sanders is charged in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, La., with kidnapping resulting in the death of 12-year-old Lexis Roberts. He’s also charged with using a gun during a crime that resulted in death. Both charges carry possible death sentences.
The child’s body was found by hunters in October 2010 in Catahoula Parish, La. She had been shot and her throat was cut. The body of her mother, Suellen Roberts, was found the next month in Yavapai County, Ariz.
U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley said Wednesday in a federal court filing that the death penalty is justified in Sanders’ case and that he’s likely to commit violent acts in the future if given the opportunity.
The filing said Sanders has threatened violence against his ex-wife and stepson.
Sanders walked away from his family in Mississippi in 1987 and they didn’t hear from him for years. His parents, brother and former wife petitioned a Pike County, Miss., court in July 1994 to have him declared dead. Despite the death certificate, Sanders was able to move about easily and undetected even though he was arrested over the years.
He surfaced as a suspect in the deaths of Lexis and Suellen Roberts. He was arrested in Gulfport, Miss., in November 2010 after a massive manhunt.
Authorities say Sanders confessed to killing the mother and daughter.
Sanders was living at a storage facility in Las Vegas when he met Suellen Roberts. A relationship developed and they planned to take her daughter on a trip to Bearizona, a wildlife park in Arizona near the Grand Canyon, for the Labor Day weekend in 2010, court documents say.
They spent the night in a hotel and played in the swimming pool. On their way back to Nevada, Sanders pulled over in the desert “ostensibly so Suellen could shoot his .22 rifle” but instead he shot her in the head, according to a court records based on Sanders’ alleged confession.
“Sanders then loaded Lexis, who was in hysterics over seeing her mother murdered, into the car and traveled to Louisiana,” court records said.
He then took her to a wooded area, where he shot her multiple times, according to court records. When she did not die, he cut her throat, killing her.
Sanders has pleaded not guilty. His trial is set for Jan. 14.
State News
Death sought in kidnap case
Suspect in case was once declared dead
- State News
-
-
2nd victim dies after blast at La. chemical plant
An explosion and fire at a Louisiana chemical plant claimed a second victim Friday as federal authorities were piecing together the cause of the blast that injured dozens more.
-
1 dead, 73 hurt in La. plant explosion
A ground-rattling explosion Thursday at a chemical plant in Louisiana ignited a blaze that killed one person and injured dozens of others, authorities said. Witnesses described a chaotic scene of flames as high as 200 feet into the air and workers scrambling over gates to escape the plant.
-
Body of 4th drowning victim found off Gulf coast
Beaches in Gulf Shores have reopened under yellow-flag conditions after being closed when four men drowned in dangerous rip currents.
-
Levees, removable walls proposed to protect NYC
Removable floodwalls would be erected in lower Manhattan, and levees, gates and other defenses would be built elsewhere around the city under a nearly $20 billion plan proposed Tuesday by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to protect New York from storms and the effects of global warming.
-
What’s the problem with PRISM?
When the federal government went looking for phone numbers tied to terrorists, it grabbed the records of just about everyone in America.
-
Tropical Storm Andrea bearing down on Fla. coast
The first named storm of the Atlantic season hammered Florida with rain, heavy winds, and tornadoes Thursday as it moved toward the coast of Georgia and the Carolinas, promising sloppy commutes and waterlogged vacation getaways through the beginning of the weekend.
-
Holder praises slain black activist Medgar Evers
Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday praised slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, saying that the black activist’s vision and leadership helped make it possible for Holder and President Barack Obama to rise to the positions they now hold.
-
3 arrested after bomb found at south Miss. prison
Three south Mississippi residents have been arrested after authorities found a bomb in a car at a Leakesville state prison.
-
Most Miss. cities hold mayoral elections Tuesday
Most Mississippi cities will elect mayors Tuesday, choosing people to propose budgets, appoint department heads and make sure that potholes are filled, garbage is collected and clean water is flowing.
-
Mississippi man indicted in poisoned letters case
A Mississippi man suspected of sending poison-laced letters to President Barack Obama and two other officials was charged in a five-count federal indictment made public Monday that could send him to prison for life if he’s convicted.
- More State News Headlines
-
2nd victim dies after blast at La. chemical plant
Obama: NSA Secret Data Gathering 'Transparent'
Man Who Disrupted Flight Ranted About CIA
Feds: 7-Eleven Stores Exploited Immigrants
Fla. Teen Catches Ride With Whale Shark
G8 Leaders Huddle on Syria
Raw: Obama, Putin Meet at G8
Iran's Rowhani Urges 'Path of Moderation'
Daughter: Mandela Doing 'Very Well'
Investigators Probe Origin of Colo. Wildfire
Ex-NFL Star Chad Johnson Out of Jail
'Game of Thrones' Boosts N. Ireland
Raw: Prince Philip Leaves Hospital After Surgery
Zimmerman Jury Selection Turns to Media Exposure
Raw: FBI Meets Plane After Poison Threat
Family Tweets Say Kim Kardashian Gives Birth
US, EU Leaders Announce Free Trade Talks
