Mississippi teen sentenced after pleading guilty to killing 13-year-old by setting him on fire

Published 11:36 am Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Nearly two years after a 13-year-old died after being set on fire, the Mississippi teen responsible for the death was sentenced.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: 

Michael Campbell, 15, was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by an additional 20 years of supervised probation after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the 2021 death of Gaines Coker.

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Campbell was 13 on June 27, 2021, when he set Coker on fire near Arkabutla Lake in Cold Water. Coker was transported to a hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he later died.

At the time, officials said the boys were playing alone inside a shop when the burning happened.

Campbell was originally charged with capital murder as an adult in the case.