Mack Arthur King v. State of Mississippi

LAMAR, Justice,

for the Court:

¶ 1. After a federal court declared Mack Arthur King ineligible for the death penalty under Atkins v. Virginia, 1 the Lowndes County Circuit Court sentenced him to life without parole. King argues on appeal that he should have been sentenced to life. We agree, and we vacate King’s sentence and remand the case for resen-tencing.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

¶ 2. Lelia Patterson was found dead in her home on August 3, 1980. King v. State, 421 So.2d 1009, 1010 (Miss.1982). King subsequently was indicted for capital murder in her death, and he was convicted and…