News – SCOTUS denies petition to review case of Mississippi death row inmate

SCOTUS denies petition to review case of Mississippi death row inmate

The Supreme Court of the United States denied on Monday, Jan. 26, a request to review the case of a Mississippi death row inmate who killed a woman during an attempted rape.

Stephen Elliot Powers, now 56, was sentenced to death in December 2000 for the June 1998 death and attempted rape of 27-year-old Elizabeth “Beth” Lafferty at her home in Hattiesburg. Lafferty was shot 5 times — 3 shots at close range to the back of her head, o1 under her chin and 1 in her temple.

In a petition filed in October 2025, counsel for Powers argued the government “actively concealed” exculpatory evidence in his case until 2023.

According to the petition, when Powers suspected that, the state “instructed a locality and the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory not to provide Powers with any evidence.” That prompted Powers to file a motion to compel, which was granted in part.

Powers argues the exculpatory evidence points to “an alternate, original suspect with a close nexus to the victim,” adding that previously undisclosed documents show the “victim’s ex-boyfriend was the original and only suspect in the murder.”

“Additionally, a witness reported last seeing the victim ‘with a thin white male.’ Powers is a Black male, but the victim’s ex-boyfriend matches the description of a thin white male,'” the petition states.

Once Powers received the exculpatory material, he filed a motion for relief with the Mississippi Supreme Court. His counsel stated the state’s supreme court dismissed the petition “without addressing whether the materials had been suppressed or without a determination as to whether Powers was at fault for not presenting the claim earlier.”

In a response filed Dec. 22, 2025, by Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s Office, the state contended that Lafferty’s ex-boyfriend was not further investigated as a suspect after Powers was identified as the last person seen with Lafferty alive, confessed to the murder and led officers to the murder weapon.

Powers has not denied killing Lafferty but claims the 2 “struggled with the gun, and the gun went off,” while Lafferty was “‘playing’ around with him.”

The state further contended that the ex-boyfriend had an alibi at the time of Lafferty’s murder.

According to the state, the document mentioning the 2nd suspect was a part of a patrol officer’s incident report, which at trial “would not have put the whole case in such a different light as to undermine confidence in the verdict.”

“This case does not warrant further review,” the state’s response said.

Beth Lafferty’s parents, Mike and Diane Lafferty, previously told the Clarion Ledger in 2019 they would never get over their daughter’s brutal death and would continue to fight for justice and the death penalty.

(source: Mississippi Clarion Ledger)