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The family of Marco McMillian say the Clarksdale mayoral candidate found brutally murdered last week was beaten, dragged and set afire.

“We feel this was not a random act of violence based on the condition of the body when it was found,” the McMillian family said in a statement released Sunday. “Marco, nor anyone, should have their lives end in this manner.”

The family, which said it learned details of murder from the coroner, asked for a full and thorough investigation into the death of the 33-year-old openly gay candidate. Coahoma County Coroner Scotty Meredith declined to comment on the family’s statement, except to say that McMillian wasn’t dragged behind a vehicle. His body was dragged from the vehicle to the place it was dumped.

“Of course, being a big man like he is, they couldn’t pick him up and take him,” Meredith said. “This is blown out of proportion.” The Coahoma County Sheriff’s Department, which is leading the investigation, didn’t immediately have a response to the family’s statement.

McMillian’s body was found Wednesday near the base of the Mississippi River west of Clarksdale, Miss., after he had been missing for one day. On Thursday, the sheriff’s department charged Lawrence Reed, 22, (seen below) of Clarksdale with murder in connection with the death.

Other than to say it’s not investigating the murder as a hate crime, the department has released no other information about the incident or the arrest. This has prompted mass speculation about why it occurred.

Among the numerous theories is that Reed allegedly killed McMillian after McMillian made sexual advances toward him or that the two men possibly had been in a romantic relationship. The family said it wanted to share information about McMillian’s death to dispel such speculation.

Reed was found Tuesday morning after crashing McMillian’s SUV into another vehicle on U.S. 49 near the Coahoma-Tallahatchie county line. McMillian was not in the vehicle at the time and authorities began searching for him. Reed was airlifted to the Regional Medical Center in Memphis and released Saturday into the custody of the Coahoma County Sheriff’s Department.

The other driver was treated at a local hospital and released. Although the state medical examiner conducted an autopsy, authorities won’t release the results until the completion of toxicology tests.

McMillian had moved back to his hometown of Clarksdale several months ago to enter the mayoral race. He wanted to reduce crime and boost employment opportunities. Before his return, the Democratic candidate served as international executive director of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, executive assistant and chief of staff to the president of Alabama A&M University, and assistant to the vice president for institutional advancement at Jackson State University, his alma mater.

McMillian, who also has a master’s degree from St. Mary’s University in Minnesota, ran a firm providing professional consultation to nonprofit organizations.

via BlackMediaScoop

Killer Caught After Black Gay Mayoral Candidate Found Dead

NEW DETAILS: Gay Mayoral Candidate Beaten, Burned  was originally published on wzakcleveland.com