Convicted of killing his girlfriend's mother, brother and niece. 2330 Columbia Ave, Prentiss, MS 39474. I met him around sunset one evening and I woke up the next morning to the news that hed been murdered a few hours earlier.. Whenever he was back in New Orleans, Brown used Louisianas excellent public records laws to request thousands of legal documents, police personnel files and building liens, which he pored over. Halfway through the trip, he met a drug dealer named David Deshotel, who had recently earned the nickname Bowlegs after a gunshot wound to the leg left him with a limp. According to the Jefferson Davis County Sheriff's Office, 20-year-old Sierra Inscoe was denied bond during her initial court appearance Wednesday for the murder of 24-year-old Carson. Her body was so dismembered that the coroner was unable to determine the specific cause of death. That fall, Sheriff Edwards publicly acknowledged for the first time that the deaths were possibly the work of a "common offender," and the task force more than doubled the reward for information leading to the killer of what became known as the Jeff Davis 8. Less than two weeks later, Reginald Hartzog was found dead of a gunshot wound in a burned home on Hartzog Magee Road. Parents of Stephen Abram spoke with the Jefferson Davis County Board of Supervisors at its meeting Monday concerned over unsolved murders in the county. Unsolved MURDERS of Jefferson Davis 8. Alexander broke into the victims' home and waited for two hours before the victims arrived, when he then shot them. Advertisement Around 6:30 p.m. Sunday night, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to the 300 block of 20th Avenue NE to conduct a welfare check. Another point to be noted is the drug epidemic in the city given its location off a major highway. In December 2008, Jefferson Davis Parish Sherriff Ricky Edwards announced the formation of a task force culled from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to investigate the murders. Arguello, Damian M. Adams County. The article caught the attention of New Orleans-based writer Ethan Brown, who ventured to Jennings to conduct his own investigation beginning in mid-2011. But they were also dying under the weight of having no resources for their health problems, no resources for their mental health problems, no resources for substance abuse., Murder in the Bayou could be a story about unconstitutional policing run amok, but by focusing on the women themselves, the takeaway seems to be something far more heartbreaking. I was floored, he says. If you have any information regarding these crimes, please call the Jefferson Davis County Sheriffs Office at 601-792-5169 or Metro Crime Stoppers. }); The Showtime docuseries Murder in the Bayou has raised a lot of questions about how the murders of eight women in Jefferson Davis Parish, La. Through extensive interviews with families, suspects and taskforce personnel, and careful examination of public records, Brown uncovered evidence that pointed him away from the serial killer theory and toward a more complex cover-up orchestrated by authorities. According to law enforcement officers, Sistrunk and Insoce had been communicating through social media and had planned to meet each other. Where Is Acquitted Murderer Candy Montgomery Now? April 15: Marsiah Emmanuel "Siah" Collins, 19, was killed in the same incident. independent local journalism in Denver. Who Is Suspected Pentagon Leaker Jack Teixeira? A witness later said she saw Lopez, the third victim, in the truck on the day of her disappearance, but by then the vehicle had already been washed and resold. Denver. Even more alarming, one member of the sherriff's office, David Barry, was fingered as a murder suspect by multiple witnesses. The victims, he wrote on Medium, not only knew each other well and shared similar woes with their drug addictions and financial problems, they had all served as police informants. In the acknowledgments, Brown gives his incredible thanks and boundless gratitude to the protesters in the Ferguson/St. But the book deal came three to four months before Ferguson and and Eric Garner, and I believe that none of these issues were on the table in any real way pre-Black Lives Matter. The two were killed on White Rogers Road. [2] A grand jury investigated the shooting and determined there was no probable cause for a charge of negligent homicide against police even though a Louisiana State Police investigation into the Crochet shooting concluded that he was unarmed when he was shot to death by law enforcement. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of The case remains unsolved until today with no new leads to give the victims' families the closure they deserve. JEFFERSON DAVIS COUNTY, Miss. For years, the police department has implied that a serial killer was in the parishs midst, but its been over a decade since the killings began, and the cases remain unsolved. The backlash spooked him. The law enforcement agencies in Jefferson Davis County, MS, do not report crime statistics in a manner that lends itself to compiling general yearly crime data for their county. That's, to me, the true justice. }); Cannabis Vape Companies Saw Bootlegs Coming So Why Didnt Regulators? [2] However, the sergeant who took the statements was forced out of his job, and the allegations were ignored by law enforcement. Two men were held for second-degree murder, though the charges were later dropped. Jefferson Davis County Sheriff's Deputies have arrested and charged one with murder in the death of Jarriyon Davis. Deshotel was a street player in town who had dated two of the Jeff Davis 8 victims. Last year, Radelet put together a letter to Governor John Hickenlooper's office that highlighted studies he'd conducted arguing against the death penalty, with one section pointing out how inconsistently (and rarely) it's been sought in Colorado even for the most shocking crimes. Investigators are planning to speak with other possible people of interest in the case to see if more arrests are possible. [1] However, Brown's recent investigative work exposing connections between victims, suspects, and the police casts doubt on the theory that the Jeff Davis 8 is the work of a serial killer. The community of Jennings lost faith in the police who were anything but helpful or effective in their search to find the killer. At least 92 homicides have been reported in the area for the year. Most were decomposed and displayed virtually no sign of trauma, their deaths believed to be the result of asphyxia. At the center of it all was Richard, the pimp and former strip-club proprietor who was also allegedly an informant and claimed to have been sexually involved with most of the women. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. April 15: Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23, was killed in the same incident. (The US average is 35.4) NOTE: The city of Jefferson Davis, Mississippi does not have FBI Crime Statistics. March 29: Walterius Jamal Barnes, 21, died at UAB Hospital from wounds suffered when he was shot multiple times from another car while he was driving, and crashed into a house on the 2900 block of Fairfax Avenue. Look below to learn more about 35 Colorado murders, whether or not prosecutors asked for capital punishment and what ultimately happened, featuring text from Radelet's letter. [4][5] From the outset, the task force was searching for a serial killer. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. pg.acq.push(function() { We hurt that someone took our only sons life., It is going to be three years in December and we have no answers., What can yall do to help the sheriffs department. In a town with a population of around 10,000, the excess amount of easily available drugs resulted in corruption, addicts, and people looking to make some easy money. [2], Brown's investigative work reveals many tangled connections between victims, suspects, and the police. 601-792-5169. The incident happened on Zion Hill Church Road. Performance & security by Cloudflare. There were allegations that officers had sex with the women who later became Jeff Davis 8 victims, and the task force was, Brown writes, a near case study in conflict of interest. There was also evidence in the Jeff Davis 8 cases including the truck where one of the victims had her throat slashed that was seemingly tampered with or was removed from the parish entirely. [3] Some were related by blood (such as cousins Kristen Gary Lopez and Brittney Gary) or lived together (Gary lived with Crystal Benoit shortly before her death). When asked what justice would look like in this case, he shrugs off things like a Department of Justice intervention, which he says would produce very little actual change. Instead, he points to street-level flaws. [5], Patterson and Brown had their throats slit; the other bodies were in too advanced state of decomposition to determine the cause of death, though asphyxia is a suspected cause of death. Nearly 150 evidentiary items were labeled. In this case, both apply. This page was last modified on 1 May 2023, at 13:59. View Official Website. This Web site is funded through a grant from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice (2018-FU-CX-K045). local news and culture. Kadarrian Johnson, 15, of Prentiss has been charged with murder. }) We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. 2023 Rolling Stone, LLC. Drug busts would reveal kilos of cocaine and crack, and thousands of pills. hitType: 'event', }); The Showtime series released on September 13. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ The bodies had been dumped in canals or on the side of the road in and around Jennings. That's a greater justice to me than just, OK, we're going to slap some handcuffs on people," Brown told The Advocate. Although Inscoe is being charged with murder in Jefferson Davis County, she is currently being held at the Rankin County Detention Center. hitType: 'event', }); Jennings, Louisiana, is a rather quiet space and the parish seat of Jefferson Davis. Academy Slaps Down New Rules After Andrea Riseborough, Tom Cruise, Michelle Yeoh Controversies The Abrams son, Stephen Abram, was murdered, along with a friend Patrick Hartzog, in December 2017. Murder in the Bayou: Who Killed the Women Known as the Jeff Davis 8. All the bodies had been found in canals or off the highway. Its important to note that none of the allegations Brown highlights amount to accusing anyone of the murders. County. }); Reader: Westside Took a Gamble on the Park Hill Golf Courseand Lost, Denver Residents Could Earn $1,000 Masturbating as Part of Orgasm Advisory Job, Lauren Boebert's Son Allowed to Appear in Court Virtually Despite Bench Warrant for Prior No-Show, The Denver Mint Is Taking Huge Losses on Nickels and Pennies Thanks to Inflation, Superfans, Mascot Mania and All-Stars: Nuggets and Suns Get Ready to Rumble, Cops Investigating "JUST KILLED A WOMAN" Photo Allegedly Shared by Rock-Throwing Suspect. He wrote that one of his contacts in Jennings, who is deeply connected to the case, told him, Ive already heard more than once that youll never get that book out. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Jefferson Davis County Sheriffs office at (601) 792-5169. Last July, we told you about the decision by prosecutors at the Denver DA's office to, Become a member to support the independent voice of Denver Despite his lengthy rap sheet and allegations that placed him in connection to some of the murders, he was free to walk the streets and talk openly with Brown about his involvement with the victims. }); The agency issued a warrant for her arrest for felony taking of a motor vehicle charge out of Rankin County. The rate of murder in Jefferson Davis County is 0.03 per 1,000 residents during a standard year. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. There was going to be an HBO show based in southwest Louisiana, which is where this case is set, and it was going be about unsolved homicides and sex work, to an extent. He realized that if the show was a success, it could potentially renew interest in the case. Further digging revealed multiple witnesses who alleged that Boustany was not only present at the Boudreaux Inn on multiple occasions, but was a client of at least three of the victims. Derrick Miller, a detective with the Jefferson Davis Parish sheriff's office, spoke with investigators . [3] The two female inmates who stated the Sheriff's Office disposed of evidence in the Lopez case alleged that the evidence was discarded at the behest of Richard. A gendas. On the surface, much about this case feels like classic Louisiana corruption. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is looking for a man believed to have stabbed a woman to death and then shot four others. Strickland said Sistrunk had been shot. All rights reserved. The Mystery Novelist Who Committed a Real Murder, Boston Marathon Bombings Survivors, 10 Years Later, A Complete Timeline of Adnan Syeds Trial, Release. 13 North on Feb. 12, 2018. [2], Police have arrested or issued warrants for the arrest of four people in connection with the case. Jefferson Davis. The Jeff Davis 8, sometimes called the Jennings 8, refers to a series of unsolved murders in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana. We want nothing more than to solve these murders, said Jefferson Davis County Sher, We have turned the cases over to the district attorney who has enlisted the help of the FBI., Sometimes it takes more time to solve a case than we would like. JDCSO investigators said that the shooting occurred around 7 p.m. Friday on Mississippi 42 between Carson and Prentiss. Its easy to say, Louisiana is terrible, it has the highest incarceration rate in America, it has the worst criminal justice system in America. All those things are true, says Brown. The murders and investigations feature in several media offerings. Karol-Chik told investigators with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office that he and Koenig had thrown rocks and even a statue at passing cars on at least 10 other days before Bartell was. [2], Sheriff's office chief criminal investigator, Warren Gary, was also accused of purchasing a truck suspected of having been used to transport a body for the purpose of discarding evidence. The two were killed on White Rogers Road. Jefferson Davis Co Jail is for County Jail offenders sentenced up to twenty four months. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. According to a press release from the Jefferson City Police Department, 35-year-old Damien L. Davis has been charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, and . ga('ads.send', { document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ The Prince William County Police Department remains committed to solving the below unsolved homicide cases. It sounds like the plot of True Detective, but when the details are laid out all at once, as they are in Ethan Browns mesmerizing new book Murder in the Bayou, it starts to make the hit HBO show seem downright restrained and the bayou look a lot like the rest of the country. They tracked down more than 1,000 leads, but came up empty. And, as Brown writes, all eight of the victims snitched for local law enforcement about the Jennings drug trade.. Brown clearly recognizes the pull: he named his book Murder in the Bayou. However, crime means there are criminals with outstanding arrest warrants, and those people could, at any time, be in Jefferson Davis County. The murder occurred after Gus agreed to testify in court about the Taylor brothers' dishonest money-making schemes. To me, rounding up whoever did this is important, says Brown. On May 20, 2005, the decomposed body of 28-year-old Loretta Lynn Chaisson Lewis was fished out of a canal on the outskirts of Jennings, in the Jefferson Davis Parish of southwest Louisiana. Every serial killer suspect that has been identified and/or arrested, in the United States, since 2009 are looked at by our investigator.), Following the publication of his story, he received a bevy of attacks from law enforcement, and not just the Sheriffs post: the Jennings local newspaper, which had initially been very supportive of Browns investigation, published attacks on his reporting and, he says, stopped returning his emails. They were all living in poverty and had criminal records filled with drug use and petty crime, often supporting their respective habits with sex work. (The US average is 22.7) Jefferson Davis County property crime is 49.4. As a result, Richards was arrested but over time the evidence against him slowly started to disappear from the police department and Richards was out again after his charges were dropped. Though the victims causes of death varied several had or appeared to have asphyxiated, two women had their throats slashed the women of the Jeff Davis 8 had plenty in common. Published 6:26 am Thursday, December 16, 2021.