Man who gunned down Mississippi pastor as he arrived for church service will spend 30 years in prison for crime

Published 5:33 pm Wednesday, October 13, 2021

A man has been sentenced to prison for his role in the fatal shooting of a Mississippi pastor while he was unlocking his church for worship services.

Morgan Quinn received 40 years with 10 years suspended and five years of supervised probation Tuesday in the death of Anthony Longino, news outlets reported. His capital murder charge was reduced to second-degree murder and aggravated assault.

Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Tomie Green also sentenced him to 20 years for the aggravated assault charge, which he’ll serve concurrently.

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Quinn was 19 when he and three others were involved in Longino’s January 2019 killing at New Bethany Missionary Baptist Church in Jackson. The 62-year-old’s pickup truck was also stolen, according to police.

“Pastor Longino’s murder was a horrendous act and a great loss to the community,” Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens said in a statement. “Pastors should be able to unlock the church doors on Sunday morning without being murdered.”

Darren Clark, Marquez Hamilton and Bernard Randall also were arrested and charged with capital murder for their roles in the pastor’s death.