Mississippi teen sentenced after pleading guilty to killing 13-year-old by setting him on fire
Published 11:36 am Tuesday, May 23, 2023
- Judge's gavel on table in office
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.
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.
