Mississippi 15-year-old sentenced to 40 years for burning another teenager to death

Last updated: May 25, 2023

A 15-year-old in Mississippi has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after being convicted of burning another teenager to death in 2021.

Michael Campbell, a 15-year-old, was charged as an adult and pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder he committed when he was 13 years old in Coldwater, Mississippi. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by an additional 20 years of supervised probation, resulting in a total sentence of 40 years.

On June 27, 2021, 13-year-old Gaines Coker was set on fire near Arkabutla Lake. He was eventually taken to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he died.