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# Federal Murder Sentences in the Southern District of Mississippi, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-murder-sentences-southern-district-of-mississippi/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:15:03.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:15:03.000Z
- Description: In the Southern District of Mississippi, 28 people were sentenced in federal court under the Commission's "Murder" offense type in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. All 28 received prison, with a median prison term of 175 months (14.6 years). That is lower than the 240-month median for this type across all
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Mississippi, F](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-mississippi/) › Murder: Southern District of Mississippi

**In brief:** In the Southern District of Mississippi, 28 people were sentenced in federal court under the Commission's "Murder" offense type in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. All 28 received prison, with a median prison term of 175 months (14.6 years). That is lower than the 240-month median for this type across all 94 districts.

Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 28 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. It is part of the [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/).

## Prison Terms in Murder Cases

Every one of the 28 people (100%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 175 months. A quarter received 352 months or more, and a quarter received 120 months or less. One person received a life sentence.

Across all 94 districts, the median prison term for this type was 240 months, and more than 99% of people were sent to prison. For all offenses in the Southern District of Mississippi, the median was 48 months. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.

## Which Murder Guidelines Applied?

The offense type is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's category, and it groups cases by the primary guideline. The most common was §2A1.2 (Second Degree Murder), with 17 cases. Another 5 used §2A1.1 (First Degree Murder), 4 used §2A1.5 (Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder), and 2 used §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact).

The median covers all of these guidelines together. The records here do not break prison terms down by guideline.

## Pleas and Trials

A total of 26 of the 28 people (93%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. The guilty plea rate for this type across all 94 districts was 78%, and for all offenses in the district it was 97%.

The median prison term after a guilty plea was 175 months. After a trial, it was 260 months, based on 2 people. A comparison built on 2 people does not show how trials generally end.

Among guilty pleas, 92% had a written plea agreement and 8% were straight pleas with no agreement.

## Sentences Against the Guideline Range

The sentence was within the range for 12 of 28 people (43%). It was below the range at the government's request for 9 (32%), and below the range without a government request for 1 (4%). It was above the range for 6 people (21%).

The within-range share was 39% across all 94 districts for this type and 69% for all offenses in the district. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 4 of the 28 people (14%).

## Other Parts of the Sentence

Supervised release was ordered after prison for 26 people (93%), with a median term of 54 months. A fine was ordered for 19 people (68%). Restitution was ordered for 7 people (25%).

In the lowest criminal history category, category I, were 57% of the people. In the highest, category VI, were 11%.

## Year-by-Year Counts

Murder cases were less than 1% of the 3,361 people sentenced in the district. Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 13 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 15 people. A fiscal year starts on October 1 and ends the following September.

In the table, the counts range from 1 person to 9 people in a year. The 9 people in 2025 had a median of 96 months, while 2017 shows a median of 400 months for 3 people. Counts this small cannot establish a trend. The table has no row for 2023.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 4                | 300 months    | 4 of 4         |
| 2017        | 3                | 400 months    | 2 of 3         |
| 2018        | 2                | 320 months    | 2 of 2         |
| 2019        | 4                | 295 months    | 4 of 4         |
| 2020        | 1                | 120 months    | 1 of 1         |
| 2021        | 1                | 60 months     | 1 of 1         |
| 2022        | 3                | 190 months    | 3 of 3         |
| 2024        | 1                | 120 months    | 1 of 1         |
| 2025        | 9                | 96 months     | 8 of 9         |

## What the Data Cannot Tell

The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not included. The records do not show the facts of any case or explain why a term was longer or shorter than the range.

Keesler AFB, Mississippi, is a military installation in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court, and these figures do not describe them.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Mississippi (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Mississippi South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Murder" (28). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.

Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30\. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.

### What to Keep in Mind

**No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct.** Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987\. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.

**Federal supervised release.** Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.

**Who decides the sentence, and under what rules.** Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.

**Time periods.** Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.

**How life sentences and "time served" are counted.** In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.

**Mandatory minimum sentences.** Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.

## Related Analysis

- [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article)
- [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts)
- [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method)
- [Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Mississippi, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-mississippi/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Mississippi, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-southern-district-of-mississippi/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Mississippi, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-southern-district-of-mississippi/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Mississippi, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-southern-district-of-mississippi/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Mississippi, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-southern-district-of-mississippi/) (same district, other offense type)
- [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)
- [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)

**About the author.** Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts *Where All The Bodies Are Buried* and runs the [Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.