Man charged in death of gay mayoral candidate

A 22-year-old man has been charged with murder Thursday in the death of a gay black mayoral candidate in the small but violent Mississippi town of Clarksdale. Lawrence Reed of Shelby is accused of killing Marco McMillian, 34, who was well-known in the community and beyond. Authorities had been looking for McMillian since Tuesday morning when his SUV was involved in a car crash with another vehicle and he was nowhere to be found.  The candidate's body was found near the Mississippi River levee Wednesday morning (February 27, 2013) between Sherard and Rena Lara. The body was sent for an autopsy, and the cause of death hasn't been made public. McMillian was seen as a rising star in Mississippi Democratic politics, and some political observers believed he was a viable candidate for office. The death was not considered politically motivated, despite a heated mayoral race, said Coahoma County Coroner Scotty Meredith. Follow me on Tumblr and Twitter to catch latest updates on this news story.