Mississippi Supreme Court Sets Execution Date for Inmate Convicted of 1993 College Student Murder

The Mississippi Supreme Court has set an execution date of October 15, 2025, for Charles Ray Crawford, who has been on death row for over 30 years for the 1993 kidnapping, rape, and murder of 20-year-old Kristy Ray. Crawford was sentenced to death in 1994, with a prior rape conviction serving as an aggravating factor in the capital murder trial. He was arrested shortly after abducting Ray from her parents' home in Tippah County and has maintained claims of blackouts during the crimes. The court denied his third post-conviction appeal, concluding that he has exhausted all state and federal remedies. This execution follows the recent lethal injection of Mississippi's longest-serving death row inmate earlier this year. Attorney General Lynn Fitch had urged the court to set the execution date, emphasizing Crawford's completed appeals process.