Mississippi man pleads guilty to murder for mother’s death

Published 1:53 pm Tuesday, May 15, 2018

D’IBERVILLE, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the death of his mother.

Twenty-six-year-old Marshall Austin Smith of D’Iberville pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder.

The Sun Herald of Biloxi cites a statement by District Attorney Tony Lawrence that says Smith’s mother, 48-year-old Millicent Smith, attempted to defuse an argument involving her son before she got into a car with him in July 2015.

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Lawrence said Smith sped off and attempted to evade law enforcement, but crashed. His mother died on impact. An investigation by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and D’Iberville Police Department found Smith had methamphetamine and THC in his system during the crash.

Judge Robert Krebs also sentenced Smith to pay fines and recommended him for a long-term drug and alcohol treatment program.