Man Sentenced in Student’s Death
A 25-year-old man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter of a popular community college student has been given a twenty-year sentence, with six years suspended. Thomas James Ward was credited for time in custody since the 2010 death of Anna Catherine McCoy, a soccer player at Itawamba Community College. McCoy was shot in the face in Ward’s bedroom at his parents’ home, after she and Ward went on a dinner date. Ward said the shooting was a tragic accident, but was indicted with depraved-heart murder. A jury failed to reach a unanimous decision on that charge in May, and Circuit Judge James Roberts Jr. declared a mistrial. Roberts pleaded guilty July 6 to manslaughter. He was sentenced Thursday.
