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Marine’s troubled life set to end with execution

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Marine's troubled life set to end with execution

Editor's note: This story contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or dial 988. Local resources include the Mississippi Department of Mental Health DMH Helpline at 1-877-210-8513.

's execution of Thomas Loden Jr. may bring some closure to his victim's but also, barring any last-minute stays, end to a troubled life.

While no justification can be made for Loden's assault and murder of a 16-year-old waitress, what brought him to that point may be found in his past.

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In court documents, attorneys for Loden have told the story of a man who was physically and sexually abused as a child and experienced post-traumatic stress disorder from his military deployment.

The 58-year-old has been on row for over 20 years for the 2000 murder and rape of Leesa Gray in Dorsey in Itawamba County.

He had no criminal record prior to Gray's murder, his attorneys said.

Loden was born to a mother who married his father at age 17 to escape a difficult home life, according to court documents.

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His father was physically and sexually abusive toward his mother, and it is likely Loden witnessed the abuse, court documents say.

His divorced when he was a toddler, and Loden bounced between living with his parents. Court documents say his step parents physically abused him.

Loden also experienced sexual abuse from a church staff member at Bible school.

As a result of trauma, he had attempted suicide several times and had substance use problems, according to court documents.

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Loden gained stability when he went to with his grandparents on their farm in Itawamba County, according to court documents.

After graduating from Itawamba Agricultural High School in 1982, Loden joined the Marine Corps.

His commanding officer described Loden as “a poster Marine” and the “hardest charging Marine I have ever had work for me,” according to court documents.

He sought promotion opportunities, eventually reaching the rank of gunnery sergeant. Throughout his career, he received several and medals such as the Combat Action Ribbon, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Good Conduct Medal, according to court documents.

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Loden served in the Gulf War where his unit was often attacked. He witnessed deaths, including that of a close friend.

That friend's death experience changed him, Loden's wife said in court documents, and she said he was different after the war. He drank heavily, took drugs, had nightmares and flashbacks and picked fights. He became less social, distant from loved ones and felt anxious in crowds.

A psychologist who worked with Loden's attorneys diagnosed him with chronic PTSD from combat, complex PTSD from his childhood and borderline personality disorder.

After deployment, Loden was transferred a number of times, including in 1995 to Virginia to be an instructor for the Marine Corps' Anti-Terrorism Security Team – a prestigious and high pressure assignment.

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In Virginia, he met his third wife. His two previous marriages ended when his wives were unfaithful, according to court documents. He had a daughter with his third wife, and the family moved to Vicksburg for him to work as a recruiter.

His third marriage also turned out to be troubled.

Loden's attorneys argued their strained relationship, paired with drugs and alcohol, influenced how he acted the night of Gray's death.

Days before the murder, Loden traveled from Vicksburg to his grandparent's farm to care for his grandmother. He was also stressed from the recruiting quotas at work, according to court documents.

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He had been drinking and took drugs throughout the day when he received a call from his wife, who claimed she had telephone sex with a partner from the firm where she worked, and that she planned to have sex with him while Loden was away, according to court documents.

That evening he went to Comer's Restaurant where Gray was his waitress and tried to flirt with the teenager. Loden waited until she was off work and found her parked by the side of the road with a flat tire.

He offered and told her he was with the Marines. He asked if she ever thought about joining, and Gray gave a response that angered him, according to court documents. Loden forced her into his van, where he repeatedly raped and murdered her.

The psychologist said Loden experienced a localized episode of dissociative amnesia when he killed Gray, according to court documents.

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When her body was discovered in his car, law enforcement found Loden lying by the side of the road with self-inflicted wounds on his wrists and the words “I'm sorry” carved into his chest, according to court documents.

During his 2001 trial, Loden admitted to killing Gray, as opposed to letting her go, because it would “tarnish [his] image as the perfect Marine.” In later appeals, mitigation evidence became a focus of his attorneys' argument that Loden had ineffective assistance of counsel.

Loden pleaded guilty to all counts and waived his right to a jury for trial and sentencing, hoping to spare Gray's family and friends a long trial.

“I hope you may have some sense of justice when you leave here today,” he said during his trial.

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Mississippi Today

Senate committee passes Medicaid ‘expansion’ bill that leaves hundreds of millions in federal dollars on table

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mississippitoday.org – Sophia Paffenroth and Taylor Vance – 2024-03-27 16:39:21

The only surviving Medicaid expansion bill in the Legislature passed the Senate Medicaid Committee Wednesday and is headed to the full Senate for a vote. 

But the proposal, as it passed the Senate committee, is not considered traditional “expansion” under the Affordable Care Act, and therefore would not qualify for the enhanced federal funding the law grants to newly-expanded states. It would leave the cost of the expanded coverage up to the state.

The Senate committee passed the House Republican bill with a strike-all, meaning it replaced the bill's original language with its own plan, which Medicaid Committee Chairman Kevin Blackwell, R-Southaven, refers to as “expansion light.”

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Blackwell estimated about 80,000 people would be eligible under this version of expansion, and half of that would apply. The House plan was expected to more than 200,000 people.

When a draft of the Senate's bill was leaked on March 20, Blackwell stressed to Mississippi Today that he and Senate leaders were still tweaking parts of the legislation. However, the legislation that passed the committee is essentially the same as what was outlined in the leaked draft. 

The Senate proposal would:

  • Cover working Mississippians up to 99% of the federal poverty level. For an individual, that would be an annual income up to $15,060. For a of four, that would be an annual income up to $31,200.
  • Not cover those making between 100% and 138% of the federal poverty threshold — not even through a private-care option. A plan that doesn't cover people making up to 138% is not considered “expansion” under the Affordable Care Act, meaning Mississippi wouldn't qualify for the 90% federal match rate that the Affordable Care Act grants to new expansion states, nor the additional, two-year 5% increase in match rate the federal provides to newly-expanded states under pandemic relief spending passed by . Instead, as was the case with Georgia, Mississippi would only get its regular federal Medicaid rate of about 77%.
  • Leave the insurance exchange, the online marketplace that offers federally subsidized plans to people who make between 100% and 138% of the federal poverty level, intact. The Senate plan, unlike Arkansas' Medicaid expansion, would not provide extra subsidies from the state's federal Medicaid money available from the ACA.
  • Include a work requirement mandating at least 120 hours of employment a month in a position for which health insurance is not paid for by the employer. That's more stringent than Georgia's plan, which mandates 80 hours a month. There are several exemptions, such as for full-time or who are the primary caregiver of a child under six years old.
  • Go into effect 30 days after the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approves a waiver necessary for the work requirement. That's unlikely to happen under the Biden administration, which has rescinded work requirements previously approved for other states during the Trump administration and has not approved new ones. If the federal government denies the waiver, Mississippi would have to wait until a new administration took office, or sue the Biden administration. Georgia remains in litigation with the federal government over the work requirement issue, and has suffered low enrollment and missed out on millions in federal funds by not fully expanding coverage.
  • Require anyone who voluntarily dropped private insurance to wait 12 months before applying for Medicaid coverage.

Senate Democrats voiced several concerns about the administrative burden of the work requirement and the 120 hour a month minimum, which is even stricter than Georgia's plan – currently the strictest expansion plan in the country. 

Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson

Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, asked Blackwell about the enhanced match from the federal government.

“So the federal government paying our match for two years and 90% after the two years – we would not qualify for that?” Blount asked.

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Blackwell said that is correct, and they would leave that money on the table.

Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, introduced two amendments: one to decrease the recertification requirements from four times a year to twice a year, and the other to reduce the work requirement hours from 120 hours a month to 80 hours a month. 

Both amendments were voted down by Republicans, who make up a majority of the committee's membership. Despite their amendments getting shot down, the Democrats still voted in favor of the bill. Only three Republican senators in the committee voted against the plan. 

When asked about the administrative burden of enforcing the work requirement, Blackwell said he is not worried and believes the Division of Medicaid has enough employees for its implementation. 

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But Georgia, the only state currently with a work requirement in its expansion plan, has spent $26 million taxpayer dollars to ensure a mere 3,500 people to date. More than 90% of that has gone to administrative and consulting costs. 

The bill is expected to be taken to a floor vote as early as Thursday, with a deadline of April 10. 

Since the Senate plan is drastically different than the House proposal – which is a mostly-traditional expansion plan insuring those who make up to 138% of the federal poverty level and would go into effect whether or not the federal government approves a work requirement waiver – a final version will likely be hammered out later in the in a conference committee.

Any final plan would realistically need a two-thirds majority from both chambers to show it has the potential to override a potential veto from Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, who has privately told lawmakers he plans to veto any Medicaid expansion bill.

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Reeves on Tuesday night hosted around 20 state senators at the Governor's Mansion in downtown Jackson where he, again, reiterated his opposition to any form of Medicaid expansion, according to multiple people familiar with the situation. 

At the Tuesday night , Reeves said he would veto the Senate's expansion plan if it reached his desk, though he reportedly said he approved the Senate's work requirement provisions. 

Shortly after the committee passed the expansion legislation, Reeves posted on social that the Senate plan is “still bad policy” and he will oppose it.

“And so I will continue to do what I told the voters I would do – fight Obamacare Medicaid Expansion with every ounce of my being,” Reeves said.  

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

Michael Guidry named Mississippi Today managing editor

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Mississippi is pleased to announce Michael Guidry as managing editor.

Guidry, who joined the Mississippi Today staff in February 2024, manages the newsroom's day-to-day and plans broader editorial strategy.

He previously served as managing editor at Mississippi Public Broadcasting, where he developed skills in audio storytelling as a producer, writer and editor.

“Michael is a perfect fit for what we're building at Mississippi Today,” said Adam Ganucheau, Mississippi Today's editor-in-chief. “He's a proven newsroom leader, and he knows Mississippi. He also brings us a lot of digital and audio skills that can expect to see more of pretty quickly.”

A native of Destrehan, , Guidry moved to Mississippi to attend Millsaps College, where he earned a dual Bachelor of Arts in History and Theatre. After graduating, he worked as a public school teacher for more than a decade.

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Michael Guidry

While at MPB, Guidry helped lead a team that received recognitions from the Radio Television Digital Association, the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters and the Public Journalists Association.

MPB's special feature on – which he co-produced and co-narrated – received the 2023 Region 9 Edward R Murrow Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Guidry continues to host MPB's weekly politics show @Issue.

“As someone who spent years in a adjacent to Mississippi Today, it became evident the newsroom was quickly becoming a leader in local, nonprofit news,” Guidry said. “I could not be more excited to join a publication dedicated to elevating the voices of while holding power to account.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

Geoff Pender named Mississippi Today politics editor

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Mississippi is pleased to announce Geoff Pender as Politics and Government Editor.

Pender, who first joined the Mississippi Today staff as senior political reporter in May 2020, will oversee the day-to-day of Mississippi Today's politics team.

He brings more than 30 years of experience covering Mississippi politics to the new role.

“If you follow Mississippi politics, you know Geoff Pender,” said Adam Ganucheau, Mississippi Today's editor-in-chief. “He's been a vital member of our politics team since 2020, and we couldn't be more for him to now it. He's been a mentor to so many of our reporters, and he's led several impactful investigations for us. can expect more of that from him in this new job— and if you're wondering, you'll also continue to see plenty of his analysis of the 's biggest stories.”

Geoff Pender

Before joining Mississippi Today, Pender was political and investigative editor at the , where he also penned a popular political column. He previously served as an investigative reporter and political editor at the Sun Herald, where he was a member of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team for Hurricane coverage.

A native of Florence, Pender is a journalism graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi and has received numerous throughout his career for reporting, columns and freedom of information efforts.

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“I truly appreciate this and appreciate being able to continue working with the great team of journalists at Mississippi Today providing in-depth news coverage at such a crucial time for the state,” Pender said.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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