Sheriff: No Hate Crime Investigation for Slain Gay Candidate

The family of a brutally slain up-and-coming gay politician in Mississippi has demanded that authorities take a closer look into the murder of Marco McMillian, who was running for mayor of Clarksdale, Miss., and was considered to be one of the first viable openly gay office seekers in the state.

McMillian's family said they want his death to be investigated as a hate crime, due to the nature of the incident. However, the Coahoma County Sheriff's Department said they would not explore the option, the Clarion-Ledger newspaper reports. They have also been tight-lipped with media and McMillian's family about the details of his death, his godfather Carter Womack said.