Death Row Inmate’S Appeal Before Miss. High Court

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) The Mississippi Supreme Court will hear dozens of appeals during its November-December term, including a post-conviction petition from death row inmate Thomas E. Loden Jr.

Loden is a former Marine recruiter and was sentenced to death in 2001 in Itawamba County for killing 16-year-old Leesa Gray in June 2000. He was also sentenced to 30 years on kidnapping and rape counts.

In a post-conviction petition, an inmate argues he has found new evidence or a possible constitutional issue that could persuade a court to order a new trial.

Gray disappeared on her way home from work as a waitress at her family's restaurant. Court documents say she was found dead of strangulation the next day in Loden's van.