The boss of the Biloxi-based Dixie Mafia is requesting to be released from prison after serving time for the past three decades for the deaths of a Mississippi judge and his wife.
In August, Kirksey McCord Nix filed a motion with a federal judge in Hattiesburg for compassionate release, with the 80-year-old arguing that his current health is the result of inadequate medical care within the prison system.
According to the document, Nix is asking to continue serving the remainder of his life sentence on supervised release or probation as he currently suffers from heart issues, diabetes, and is confined to a wheelchair.
Nix was first arrested in the late 1960s after being named a suspect in the assassination attempt on Sheriff Buford Pusser, as well as the death of Pusser’s wife. In 1972, Nix was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of New Orleans grocery executive, Frank Corso, during a break-in at the victim’s residence.
The kingpin was then charged with ordering the murders of Judge Vincent Sherry and his wife in 1987 while being incarcerated at the Angola State Penitentiary in Louisiana.
During that time, Nix attempted to create a criminal empire through a “lonely hearts” scheme aimed at scamming homosexual men through personal advertisements in magazines. Nix used the scam, as well as insurance fraud and drug dealing, to acquire thousands of dollars in hopes of buying his way out of prison.
According to investigators, former Biloxi Mayor Pete Halat blamed the loss of Nix’s money on Sherry, who was his law partner at the time. Halat served as Nix’s attorney during his time in prison, purportedly using an estimated $100,000 in funds Nix received through his schemes to cover financial losses.
Since then, Nix has been held at the Federal Correctional Institution, El Reno, Ala. If released, Nix has stated that he intends to live with his sister in Eufaula, Okla.
