Man sentenced for burning a cross in his front yard
By Regina Thomas
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GULFPORT, Mississippi (WAPT) — A man has been sentenced to 42 months in prison for burning a cross in his front yard.
Court documents show Axel Cox, 24, of Gulfport, violated the Fair Housing Act when he used threatening and racially derogatory language toward his black neighbors and burned a cross to intimidate them.
Cox admitted he lit the cross on fire because the victims were black, and he intended to scare them into moving out of the neighborhood.
His attorney says Cox was reacting to his neighbors allegedly shooting and killing his dog.
Cox is currently in prison on separate state convictions out of Harrison County for receiving stolen property and possession of a controlled substance.
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