Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch has filed motions with the state Supreme Court, urging them to schedule execution dates for two men on death row. The individuals in question, Willie Jerome Manning and Robert Simon Jr., have been at the center of a long-standing legal battle that has raised questions about their guilt and the reliability of evidence used in their convictions.
Manning, now 55, was convicted in 1994 for the murders of Mississippi State University students Jon Steckler and Tiffany Miller in Oktibbeha County. Simon, 60, and another man were convicted for the 1990 Quitman County slayings of a family of four. Both Manning and Simon were previously close to being executed over a decade ago, but stays were issued by the courts.
Recently, Manning’s defense team petitioned for post-conviction relief based on “newly discovered evidence and scientific developments undermining Manning’s conviction.” The petition was submitted shortly before the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request to have the evidence in the case tested at a specialized laboratory. However, the state has not yet responded to the petition or considered the new evidence, according to Krissy Nobile, Manning’s attorney and the director of the Mississippi Office of Capital Post-Conviction Counsel.
Nobile expressed concern about the rush to execute Manning, stating, “The State instead is steamrolling toward execution even though there is compelling evidence that Manning may, in fact, be innocent. Executions are not the place to act first and ask questions later.” She called into question the reliability of hair analysis and firearms identification used in Manning’s trial, as well as the credibility of witnesses who admitted to fabricating their testimony in exchange for money and sentence reductions.
Similarly, Simon’s case has also been marked by legal challenges. In 2011, he was just hours away from execution when a federal appeals court ordered a stay to rule on a mental disability claim. Although the claim was later rejected, questions remain about the fairness of the process.
Attorney Johnnie E. Walls Jr., listed for Simon, has not yet responded to inquiries about the recent motions filed by the Attorney General’s office. The motions call for the Mississippi Supreme Court to set the execution dates within the next 30 days, arguing that both Manning and Simon have exhausted all state and federal remedies.
The motions are currently pending before the court, leaving the fate of Manning and Simon uncertain. The case highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the death penalty and the need for thorough examination of evidence to ensure justice is served.
