James Cobb Hutto

Death Penalty Information Center Info

Age: 52

Sex: Male

Race: White

State: Mississippi

County: Hinds

Inmate Number: 183663

via My Crime Library; Mississippi Department of Corrections; WLBT3

Brief Case History

James Cobb Hutto contacted with his ex-girlfriend, Sherri Lawson, on September 8, 2010, and the two met over the weekend. During their short time together, Hutto’s Camaro broke down and was towed away. Hutto and Lawson parted ways and Hutto went to the Baptist Healthplex where he met Ethel W. Simpson. The two became friends and Simpson drove Hutto back to the Comfort Inn where he stayed and she picked him up later that night to go to the Riverwalk casino in Vicksburg. The pair had dinner before heading home, however, Hutto arrived alone back at his hotel in Simpson’s car. Simpson’s brother reported her missing to her son the next day. The Clinton Police investigated and discovered that Hutto was the last person seen with her. An Alabama police department arrested Hutto after seeing him in Simpson’s car and on the same day, Simpson’s body was found on a hog farm between Vicksburg and Clinton. Hutto was interviewed four times in Alabama, but he claimed that a man named Mark Cox had killed Simpson. Cox was in Alabama at the time of Simpson’s disappearance. In 2013, Hutto was sentenced to death for Simpson’s murder. In 2022, Hutto’s court hearing was held virtually due to his “history of violence,” the condition of the Raymond Detention Center, and travel delays and restrictions.

via My Crime Library; Mississippi Department of Corrections; WLBT3