Murder of Kim Cox
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Kim Kirk Cox | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kim Everette Kirk January 12, 1970 Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | May 14, 2010 (aged 40) |
| Resting place | Elmwood Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Victim of a 2010 murder case |
| Spouse(s) | David Neal Cox Sr. (husband; her killer) |
| Children | Two sons and one daughter |
| Parent | Benny Kirk (father) |
On May 14, 2010, 39-year-old David Neal Cox Sr. (November 30, 1970 – November 17, 2021) murdered his wife Kim Kirk Cox (January 12, 1970 – May 14, 2010) by shooting her, afterwards raping his stepdaughter in front her. Cox was arrested hours after he killed his wife and held her family members hostage, and he was charged with capital murder, sexual battery and several other offences. Cox pleaded guilty to all eight charges, and sentenced to death for murdering his wife in 2012. After he waived his right to appeal, Cox, who confessed to murdering his sister-in-law in 2007 right before his death, was executed via lethal injection on November 17, 2021.[1][2]
Background, murder and standoff
[edit]On May 14, 2010, 39-year-old David Neal Cox Sr. would commit the murder of his wife Kim Kirk Cox, who was 40 years old and separated from him at that time.[3]
Prior to the murder, Cox was a former truck driver who had two sons with Kim, who also had one daughter she bore from a previous relationship. In August 2009, Cox's stepdaughter reported him to the police and stated that Cox was sexually abusive towards her. As a result, Cox was arrested on multiple charges, including statutory rape, sexual battery, child abuse, possession of precursors, and possession of methamphetamine.[3][4]
During the nine months he spent in jail before posting bond, Cox frequently expressed his anger to his cellmates, blaming Kim for his situation and declaring that he would kill her once he was free. Out of fear for her safety, Kim and the children moved in with her sister in the small town of Sherman, Mississippi. When Cox was released in April 2010 after being granted bail, he decided to confront Kim with a gun on May 14, 2010, when he purchased a .40 caliber handgun and extra ammunition. Cox subsequently drove a van to the house of Kim's sister, where he took his plan to action.[3][5]
After intruding the house of Kim's sister, Cox confronted his wife, her sister and all his two sons and stepdaughter on gunpoint, and even fired his gun in the house. Although Kim's sister and one of Cox's sons managed to escape the house, Cox held his other son, stepdaughter and wife hostage for more than eight hours.[3][6]
During the situation itself, Cox had shot his wife in the abdomen, and while Kim was mortally wounded and slowly dying from massive blood loss, Cox proceeded to sexually assault his 12-year-old stepdaughter three times in front of his dying wife. Despite attempts from authorities and family members of both Cox and Kim for the former to release the latter for medical treatment, Cox refused and proclaimed he wanted to see Kim to slowly die a painful death. The armed hostage-taking incident was diffused after a SWAT team entered the house to apprehend Cox at around 3.23am on May 15, 2010.[7][8]
David Cox's trial and sentencing
[edit]David Neal Cox Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 30, 1970 Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | November 17, 2021 (aged 50) |
| Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
| Conviction(s) | Capital murder (x1) Kidnapping (x2) Sexual battery (x3) Burglary (x1) Discharge of firearms (x1) |
| Criminal penalty | 185 years' imprisonment (kidnapping, discharge of firearms, burglary and sexual battery) Death (murder) |
| Details | |
| Victims | Kim Kirk Cox, 40 (confirmed) Felicia Cox, 40 (suspected) |
| Date | 2007 – May 14, 2010 |
| Location(s) | Union County, Mississippi |
| Imprisoned at | Mississippi State Penitentiary |
After his arrest, David Cox was charged with eight counts, consisting of one count of capital murder, two counts of kidnapping, one count of burglary, one count of firing into a dwelling, and three counts of sexual battery.[3]
A jury trial commenced on September 17, 2012, to hear Cox's case. Cox pleaded guilty to murdering his wife Kim Cox and other charges pertaining to the rapes of his stepdaughter and hostage-taking of his wife's family members, leading to his conviction for all the eight charges against him. The prosecution announced their intent to seek the death penalty for Cox in relation to the capital murder charge, which also carries a potential life sentence without any chance for parole if the offender was not sentenced to death.[3]
The trial lasted for five days until September 22, 2012, and the jury unanimously recommended the death penalty for Cox on the most serious charge of capital murder. For the remaining seven charges, Cox received consecutive jail terms of 30 years for each count of kidnapping, 30 years for each count of sexual battery, as well as 25 years for burglary and ten years for discharging a firearm into a dwelling, making it a total of 185 years' imprisonment on top of his death sentence for murdering Kim.[3]
Appeals and death warrant
[edit]On February 3, 2015, David Cox's appeal against his death sentence was heard before the Mississippi Supreme Court.[9] On June 25, 2015, Cox's appeal was dismissed by the Mississippi Supreme Court.[10]
On February 16, 2016, the Mississippi Supreme Court rejected Cox's second appeal.[3]
In a handwritten letter to the judge in July 2018, district attorney and his lawyer, Cox admitted to killing his wife and stated he would do it again if given the opportunity. Later that year, Cox sought permission from the Mississippi Supreme Court to dismiss his counsel, waive all appeals, and move forward with his execution. The judges determined that a circuit judge should conduct a competency hearing. During that hearing before Union County Circuit Judge Kent Smith in February 2021, the court heard testimonies from Cox, his family, friends, and two mental health experts. Two months later, on April 5, 2021, Justice Smith approved Cox's request to waive his remaining rights to appeal, and was satisfied that Cox was mentally competent to reach this decision. The ruling paved way for the state authorities to schedule an execution date for Cox.[11][12]
On October 22, 2021, the Mississippi Supreme Court issued an official death warrant for Cox, scheduling his death sentence to be carried out on November 17, 2021.[13][14] Cox was the first condemned person from Mississippi to have his execution date set in nine years after the state's last execution in 2012, for which the pause on executions was due to the difficulty finding the drugs necessary to carry out lethal injection executions.[15][16]
In response to the death warrant of Cox, 23-year-old Lindsey Kirk, the stepdaughter of Cox, stated that she was not happy upon hearing it but she wanted to attend the execution and wanted Cox to face the consequences, and also recounted the sexual abuse she experienced before and during the murder of her mother Kim. Benny Kirk, Kim's father, told the press that his son-in-law was "evil" and describing Kim as a "caring mother who was generous toward others", Kirk said he and his wife (Kim's stepmother) never realized the abusive nature of Cox towards his daughter and grandchildren until Cox's true colours were exposed.[17][18][19]
On the eve of the execution, Mississippi's Governor Tate Reeves confirmed that he would not grant clemency to Cox.[20]
Execution
[edit]On November 17, 2021, 50-year-old David Neal Cox Sr. was formally put to death via lethal injection at Mississippi State Penitentiary; two weeks short of his 51st birthday. When asked to make a final statement, he said: "I want my children to know that I love them very much and that I was a good man at one time. Don’t ever read anything but the King James Bible.” Cox thanked the state corrections commissioner, Burl Cain, for being kind to him throughout the years before he finished making the final statement, and a few minutes after the drugs were administered to him, Cox was pronounced dead at 6:12pm.[21][22]
For his final meal, Cox ordered a banana pudding, French fries, fried catfish and cornmeal.[23] Reportedly, Cox shared his food with Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain, two other department of corrections officials and three chaplains.[24]
Cox was the first person to be executed in Mississippi after the state's nine-year moratorium on capital punishment. The last execution took place in 2012 prior to Cox's execution.[25] Cox was the 18th person in the state to be subjected to execution by lethal injection since 2002.[26]
David Cox's confession of second murder
[edit]Prior to his execution, David Cox admitted that he was responsible for the alleged murder of his sister-in-law Felicia Cox (who was his brother's wife).[27][28]
Felicia Cox, who was 40 years old at the time of her disappearance, went missing sometime in July 2007. Felicia was last seen alive visiting Cox's wife Kim Cox in Pontotoc County, Mississippi. According to a letter which Cox wrote in October 2021 (a month before he was put to death), Cox admitted to killing Felicia under unspecified circumstances,[29][30] and he also revealed the location where he buried the body of Felicia by drawing a map. The police concluded that Cox, who had been a long-time suspect behind his sister-in-law's disappearance, was most likely responsible for the crime.[31]
The Pontotoc County Sheriff's Department, District Attorney's Office, and experts in Archeology and Anthropology affiliated with Mississippi State University participated in the search for Felicia Cox's remains. On December 13, 2021, the authorities were able to locate a set of human remains at the location where Cox reportedly buried his sister-in-law's body.[32][33][34]
On December 24, 2021, after DNA tests were conducted, the police confirmed that the corpse belonged to Felicia Cox, after the DNA matched to her daughter Amber Miskelly, who was 18 when her mother disappeared.[35][36]
See also
[edit]- Capital punishment in Mississippi
- List of people executed in Mississippi
- List of people executed in the United States in 2021
References
[edit]- ^ "Mississippi Killer Confessed to Another Murder Before His Execution". The New York Times. December 7, 2021.
- ^ "A man was executed for killing his wife. Before he died, he confessed to killing his sister-in-law, too". The Washington Post. December 7, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h COX v. STATE [2016], Mississippi Supreme Court (United States).
- ^ "David Neal Cox, convicted of killing estranged wife, executed in MS. Last words were to his children". The Clarion Ledger. November 17, 2021.
- ^ "A Good Man, at One Time". The Altantic. March 7, 2022.
- ^ "Mississippi to perform first execution since 2012 on Wednesday evening". Mississippi Today. November 17, 2021.
- ^ "Mississippi executes man who pleaded guilty to murder and sexual assault in the state's first execution since 2012". CNN. November 18, 2021.
- ^ "Mississippi executes first prisoner since 2012". UPI. November 17, 2021.
- ^ "Mississippi inmate wants death sentence thrown out". WAPT. February 3, 2015.
- ^ "Mississippi inmate loses appeal of death sentence". WAPT. June 25, 2015.
- ^ "Judge says Mississippi death row inmate may give up appeals". Associated Press. April 5, 2021.
- ^ "Judge says Mississippi death row inmate may give up appeals". WAPT. April 5, 2021.
- ^ "Prison chief: Mississippi preps for 1st execution since 2012". Associated Press. October 29, 2021.
- ^ "He killed his wife, assaulted his stepdaughter. Mississippi sets November execution date". The Clarion Ledger. October 22, 2021.
- ^ "Mississippi to resume executions after struggling to find lethal drugs for 9 years". The Independent. November 17, 2021.
- ^ "Mississippi prepares for David Neal Cox's execution, the state's 1st since 2012". Alabama Local News. October 23, 2021.
- ^ "'He's evil': Victims' family prepares for killer's execution". Associated Press. November 16, 2021.
- ^ "'He's evil': Victims' family prepares for killer's execution". The Independent. November 16, 2021.
- ^ "Father of Kim Cox, killed by estranged husband David Cox, says execution will give closure". The Clarion Ledger. November 16, 2021.
- ^ "Gov. Tate Reeves, Mississippi AG will not delay or halt David Neal Cox execution". The Clarion Ledger. November 16, 2021.
- ^ "Mississippi executes man who killed wife, terrorized family". Associated Press. November 17, 2021.
- ^ "Mississippi executes first inmate since 2012". NBC News. November 17, 2021.
- ^ "David Neal Cox: Bizarre last meal request of death row inmate who killed ex wife". The Mirror. November 17, 2021.
- ^ "Mississippi executes man convicted of killing estranged wife, the state's first since 2012". USA Today. November 17, 2021.
- ^ "Mississippi man who killed his wife becomes state's first execution in nearly 10 years". CBS News. November 17, 2021.
- ^ "New law gives MDOC commissioner choice in how people are executed". Mississippi Today. June 21, 2022.
- ^ "Man admits to another killing just before execution". Associated Press. December 6, 2021.
- ^ "Woman's remains found in Mississippi after tip from man who confessed to killing her just before his execution". CBS News. December 13, 2021.
- ^ "Man recently executed for killing his wife confessed to killing his sister-in-law as well". CNN. December 7, 2021.
- ^ "'Death row killer David Cox confesses to second cold case murder just before execution". The Independent. December 7, 2021.
- ^ "Mississippi inmate revealed location of sister-in-law's body before he was executed for another murder, officials say". NBC News. December 8, 2021.
- ^ "Remains found after pre-execution tip from Mississippi man". Associated Press. December 13, 2021.
- ^ "Investigators find remains at location mapped out by convicted killer before his execution". CNN. December 14, 2021.
- ^ "Map from executed murderer leads to likely remains of sister-in-law". NBC News. December 14, 2021.
- ^ "Remains identified after Mississippi man's pre-execution tip". Associated Press. December 24, 2021.
- ^ "Remains found after Mississippi inmate's pre-execution tip confirmed as missing woman". NBC News. December 24, 2021.