South MS man pleads guilty to federal hate crime in Coast cross-burning case
A Mississippi Coast man pleaded guilty Thursday to committing a federal hate crime by burning a cross in his front yard to intimidate and threaten Black neighbors living in a rental house next door.
Axel Charles Cox, 24, burned the wooden cross at his home in Harrison County on Dec. 3, 2020.
He pleaded guilty to the federal charge of intimidating and interfering by force and threat of force to interfere with fair housing rights because of the victim’s race, color, religion, sex, disability, national origin or familial status. This civil rights violation carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.
As part of his plea, Cox admitted gathering up the supplies for the cross at his home, propping it up outside, and dousing it with motor oil before lighting it to intimidate his Black neighbors.
“Burning a cross invokes the long and painful history, particularly in Mississippi, of intimidation and impending physical violence against Black people,” Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a release. “The Department of Justice will continue to prosecute those who use racially-motivated violence to drive people away from their homes or communities.”
Judge Sul Ozerden deferred sentencing until March 9.
Cox’s attorney, Jim Davis, of Gulfport, called the incident “unfortunate” and said Cox was reacting to his neighbors allegedly shooting and killing his dog.
“His dog went in their yard, and they shot it,” Davis said Friday. “The dog crawled back to Mr. Cox’s house, and he got to watch the dog die. He just way overreacted to the circumstances. He acted totally inappropriately.”
In exchange for his plea, prosecutors are dismissing a second charge of using fire in the commission of committing a felony, a federal crime that could have resulted in an additional sentence of up to 10 years in prison that must be served consecutively to the sentence on the previous charges.
During the cross burning, Cox made “threatening and racially derogatory remarks” while threatening them through the use of fire, according to federal court records.
A federal grand jury indicted him on the offenses in September. FBI Agent Drew Robinson arrested Cox on the federal offenses on Sept. 23 in Wiggins.
Gulfport police and FBI agents investigated the case.
“The collaboration among the Gulfport Police Department and civil rights division and our office brought this defendant to justice,” U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca said in his statement. “We will continue to work with and for the good people of Mississippi to eradicate such racist intimidation.”
Since 2018, Cox has been in and out of jail in Harrison County on various charges that included possession of meth, felony possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, felony receiving stolen property and misdemeanor DUI involving drugs.
Cox is already serving time in a Mississippi prison for possessing the stolen property and the drug charge.
This story was originally published December 2, 2022 at 8:49 AM.
