Current:Home > InvestMississippi man found not guilty of threatening Republican US Sen. Roger Wicker-VaTradeCoin
Mississippi man found not guilty of threatening Republican US Sen. Roger Wicker
lotradecoin API View Date:2024-12-25 23:34:42
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — A jury has cleared a Mississippi man on a charge of threatening to kill Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker during a confrontation with one of Wicker’s relatives.
Six women and six men deliberated about an hour and a half Tuesday before unanimously finding William Carl Sappington not guilty of threatening to injure or kill a United States official, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported.
Sappington’s attorney, Tom Levidiotis, said federal prosecutors failed to prove the alleged threat was credible.
“There is no scintilla or proof that this had anything to do with (the senator’s) official duties,” Levidiotis said. “Roger Wicker has no idea this guy even exists.”
After the verdict in the two-day trial, Sappington was released from jail for the first time since he was arrested on the charge in May 2023.
Conviction would have been punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison.
Sappington was accused of going to the Hickory Flat home of the senator’s second cousin, George Wicker, on April 26, 2023. Prosecutors believed the testimony of George Wicker, 83, who said Sappington asked if he was related to the senator and then said, “You tell him that I’m going to kill him.”
During an FBI interview, Sappington denied making a direct threat against Roger Wicker, who has been in the Senate since 2007.
“If I went there to kill him, he’d be dead,” Sappington said during the recorded 2023 FBI interview that was played to the jury. “But I’m not into that. I don’t even want to kill him with the law.”
Sappington said he accused the senator of being part of a conspiracy to cover up an aggravated kidnapping against him. In February 2014, Sappington was arrested in the assault of his own brother. He tried to flee and was bitten by a police dog. Authorities took him to a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, to treat injuries he sustained during the arrest.
Prosecutors said George Wicker was locked in his house and scared. On the 911 call, he said Sappington was a “crazy man.” But the first law enforcement officer to arrive at the home found George Wicker in his carport arguing with Sappington, who was about 15 feet (4.6 meters) away in the driveway. Sappington said he was trying to leave, but George Wicker kept calling him back.
George Wicker was adamant in his testimony that the incident happened in the morning. But a police report showed it happened around 6 p.m. During a 45-second call to Benton County 911, George Wicker was heard saying twice that he was going to kill Sappington.
veryGood! (7743)
Related
- Billboard Music Awards 2024: Complete winners list, including Taylor Swift's historic night
- Illegal tunnel under a synagogue in NYC is 60 feet long and destabilized nearby buildings, city says
- Georgia Senate nominates former senator as fifth member of election board
- Shanna Moakler accuses Travis Barker of 'parental alienation' after dating Kourtney Kardashian
- 'The Voice' Season 26 finale: Coach Michael Bublé scores victory with Sofronio Vasquez
- Why Golden Bachelor's Leslie Was Uncomfortable During Gerry and Theresa's Wedding
- Intimidated by Strength Training? Here's How I Got Over My Fear of the Weight Room
- Stephen Sondheim is cool now
- California judges say they’re underpaid, and their new lawsuit could cost taxpayers millions
- Retired Arizona prisons boss faces sentencing on no-contest plea stemming from armed standoff
Ranking
- A Malibu wildfire prompts evacuation orders and warnings for 20,000, including Dick Van Dyke, Cher
- NFL coaching candidates: Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, Mike Vrabel add intrigue to deep list
- US adults across racial groups agree the economy is a top priority, AP-NORC and AAPI Data polls show
- Plan for Gas Drilling Spree in New York’s Southern Tier Draws Muted Response from Regulators, But Outrage From Green Groups
- Sabrina Carpenter reveals her own hits made it on her personal Spotify Wrapped list
- Video shows Virginia police save driver from fiery wreck after fleeing officers
- 15 Secrets About the OG Mean Girls That Are Still Totally Grool
- Taxes after divorce can get . . . messy. Here are seven tax tips for the newly unmarried
Recommendation
-
Southern California forecast of cool temps, calm winds to help firefighters battle Malibu blaze
-
Rams QB Matthew Stafford eyes wild-card playoff return to Detroit after blockbuster trade
-
Rams QB Matthew Stafford eyes wild-card playoff return to Detroit after blockbuster trade
-
2024 tax season guide for new parents: What to know about the Child Tax Credit, EITC and more
-
Trump taps immigration hard
-
Good news you may have missed in 2023
-
Bill Belichick's most eye-popping stats and records from his 24 years with the Patriots
-
Georgia Senate nominates former senator as fifth member of election board