Man convicted in Meridian 1980s rape cases dies in prison

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – A man serving life for the 1983 rape of a Meridian woman has died.

The Mississippi Department of Corrections says 65-year-old Larry Fisher died Thursday at the hospital at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. The cause of death is pending an autopsy.

Fisher had repeatedly sought parole, but was denied, most recently in November 2015 amid opposition, including from the relatives of the rape victim who is now deceased and two teen homicide victims whose deaths were linked to Fisher.

Fisher was convicted of capital murder in one of the homicide cases, but his conviction and death sentence were overturned. He was acquitted in the second trial and never tried in the other case. His rape conviction and life sentence were affirmed by the Mississippi Supreme Court in 1988.

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