Jackson Free Press

Mississippi death-penalty opponents expect that three men will lose key appeals today, and expect each to receive a June execution date.

The men are: Jan Michael Brawner, 34, of Tate County; Henry Curtis Jackson Jr., 47, of Leflore County; and Gary Carl Simmons, 49, of Jackson County.

Prosecutors charged Brawner with four counts of capital murder for killing his ex-wife, Barbara; his daughter, Paige; and Barbara's parents, Carl and Jane Craft.
A jury convicted Brawner on all four counts on April 11, 2002. According to court documents, Brawner told investigators that he and his new girlfriend were having money troubles. Brawner claimed during one interview that he hoped his ex in-laws could loan him some cash, but in a subsequent interview said he planned to rob his in-laws' home.

Jackson received the death penalty in 1991 for stabbing his two nieces and two nephews to death. Court papers indicate that Jackson killed the four children "in an attempt to steal money kept in his mother's safe in her home." The children Jackson murdered were Dominique, 5, Shunterica, 2, Antonio, 3, and Andrew, 2. Jackson also stabbed several other relatives who survived the attack. They include Jackson's mother's adult daughter, Regina, as well as Sarah, 11, and 1-year-old Andrea.

Simmons' conviction for capital murder, rape and kidnapping charges came on August 29, 1997. In 1996, Simmons killed Jeffrey Wolfe to whom Simmons owed a drug-related debt, and raped Wolfe's girlfriend, Charlene Leaser.

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood's office could not be reached for comment before the JFP Daily deadline.

Previous Comments

ID

167725

Comment

Attorney General Jim Hood's spokeswoman confirmed in an email that Hood will "file motions to reset the execution dates on all three today," Monday May 14. Those dates, Schaefer says, will be June 12 for Jackson, June 13 for Simmons and June 14 for Brawner, four days after his 35th birthday.

Author

rlnave

Date

2012-05-14T13:40:35-06:00