A Mississippi man facing the death penalty lost his most recent appeal, despite allegations that a juror in his trial was biased against him.
Caleb Corrothers, 39, was convicted of shooting and killing Frank and Taylor Clark during a drug transaction in 2009. He also shot and seriously injured Frank’s wife, Tanya, and was found guilty of aggravated assault in the incident, according to The Oxford Eagle.
Corrothers was sentenced to death for the two murders, but he has challenged the verdict. Corrothers claimed in an appeal that his surviving victim communicated with a juror during his trial, the newspaper reported.
His attorneys called his mother and cousin as witnesses at a 2023 hearing. The pair claimed to have seen a “juror mouth ‘We got it’ to Clark as the jury returned to the courtroom after unanimously voting to sentence Corrothers to death,” according to the appeal.
“However, the trial judge did not believe the two witnesses.” He determined they were not credible because of their personal involvement in Corrothers’ case.”
According to The Oxford Eagle, the appeal was heard by the state supreme court in December 2024, and the court agreed with the trial judge. Corrothers’ attorneys then appealed again in February 2025, and the decision was upheld, paving the way for the death penalty.
