Spokeswoman: Indicted Jackson, Miss., Mayor Frank Melton dies after losing re-election bid

Indicted Miss. mayor dies days after primary loss

JACKSON, Miss. — A city spokeswoman says the indicted mayor of Mississippi’s largest city has died less than two days he lost his bid for a second term in office.

Jackson spokeswoman Goldia Revies says Mayor Frank Melton died peacefully early Thursday with his wife by his side at the hospital where he was taken by ambulance from his home Tuesday night. He had a history of serious heart problems.

Unofficial results show Melton placed fourth in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. Only the top two candidates moved on to a runoff.

The 60-year-old mayor and a former bodyguard had faced a second trial beginning next week on federal civil rights charges in a vigilante-style raid on a duplex he considered a crackhouse.