Contract killing offer allowed as evidence

JACKSON, Miss. — A Mississippi federal court will allow evidence that a public official in Canton told a businessman that he could have a public official in Madison killed for treating the businessman poorly. The Canton official and the businessman are two of four people indicted for their alleged participation in a public corruption scheme. The allegation is scandalous, but “the court cannot say that the risk of unfair prejudice substantially outweighs the evidence’s significant probative value,” as the official’s willingness to set up a killing on the businessman’s behalf might indicate the latter had illegally influenced the official.