Manning case back before Miss. Supreme Court

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Attorneys for death row inmate Willie Jerome Manning are arguing again that he deserves a new trial in the 1993 slayings of two women in Starkville.

A judge in Oktibbeha County denied Manning’s petition in 2013. Manning is now appealing to the Mississippi Supreme Court.

In 1996, Manning was convicted and sentenced to death in the killings of Emmoline Jimmerson and her daughter, Alberta Jordan during a robbery attempt at their Starkville apartment. Their bodies were found Jan. 18, 1993.

In 2004, the Supreme Court told Manning he could pursue three issues – two regarding evidence and another on his lawyer’s performance – in circuit court. A circuit court judge ruled against Manning on all three issues last year. Manning has appealed that ruling to the state Supreme Court.