killing in ferriday, louisiana

Concordia Parish had 14 recorded racially-motivated murders between 1964 and 1967.[4]. Atcheson, who was familiar with the Deacons for Defense and Justice, later told FBI agent Don McGorty that Ferriday resident Victor Graham had contacted the Jonesboro Deacons and that a month later, in August 1965, the Ferriday chapter was formed. We were able to get a dying declaration from the dad before he expired, Webre said. CPSO says upon arrival, they found two bodies with fatal gunshot wounds. [6] Ferriday Police officer William Howell Harp Jr. alleged that Morris was a bootlegger and sold narcotics. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. We spent all those years hating each other for reasons we dont know, Whatley said. David Whatley, who was a CORE member himself while a student at Ferriday High School, confirmed in a recent interview that the Ferriday Deacons were armed. Officials had said that Theriot was believed to have been Summers boyfriend, but her family strongly denies that they were dating. The group is also suspected in the disappearance and murder of an African American employee of the Shamrock Motel, Joseph Edwards. This was of interest to the FBI, as multiple informants stated that the Concordia Parish Sheriff's Department had prior knowledge of the coming attack on Morris, and was told to "be on the other side of the parish". Minutes later, he, not his attackers, was arrested. We will continue to update this story with more information as it develops. The sheriffs office said the incident happened on June 23 in the Ferriday area in northeast Louisiana. Two killed in Ferriday . Luckily, only the detonator exploded, not the bomb itself, sparing the family from tragedy. At approximately 1:00a.m., Morris was awakened in a back room of the shop by the sound of glass breaking. [2] After one of the subjects lit a match, the shop caught fire; Morris was still present in the building. More:Sons of Klansmen tied to Louisiana murder haunted by sins of their fathers. Klansmen had learned that McCraney was a member of a secret organization of black activists, the Deacons for Defense and Justice. The first full investigation of the Frank Morris murder began in January 1965, at the request of then-Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division, Burke Marshall. Morris, a black man who had . Police say the couple was at the woman's mother house at the time. According to the L.A. County . King thanked Concordia Parish Sheriffs Office and its deputies who worked jointly with Ferriday Police in this investigation, he said. He was killed when the shop burned down in 1964. The Deacons were unlike any such group before or since. McCray dutifully taught Technology Foundations and also served as Assistant Test Coordinator. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Natchez pastry chef Molly Manning Robertson in bake off for last spot in Spring Baking Championship finale, VIDEO: Funeral procession for long-time sheriff Tommy Ferrell passes by Adams County Sheriffs Office, Calm, focused and ready: The role of an ER nurse, A Team Sport: Emergency medicine, first-responders share common goal of saving lives, 2023, Mississippi's Best Community Newspaper. Klansmen took advantage of this, throwing a bomb just outside Whatleys bedroom window. CPSO officials said the incident is being investigated as a murder-suicide and there are no suspects at large. All rights reserved. So far no charges have been filed. Autopsies for Theriots parents were scheduled for Tuesday, Webre said. The Natchez-Adams School District said he taught 8th grade at Morgantown Middle School. Read full article on original website. [2], The FBI reopened the Frank Morris investigation in 2007, as part of the Civil Rights Era Cold Case Initiative. The sheriffs office says the incident is being investigated as a murder-suicide and that there are no suspects at large. Donnie Sanders III, 24, is charged with second-degree murder. Until now, the case has gone. A 20-year-old male and 26-year-old female were killed by apparent gunshot wounds. ", "We know what happened here. They handed out flyers and leaflets to local congregations and spoke at churches. Kelly later told Rosa Williams, Morris's granddaughter, "I know what happened to your grandfather You don't have to look no further than the police department. The FBI opened a full investigation into his murder due to its civil rights implications, as Jackson was treasurer of the local chapter of the NAACP. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. When Jones was interviewed on September22, he stated that "if he was arrested for this crime, officers also would have to arrest DeLaughter". The sheriff said Theriot is cooperating with the investigation. NATCHEZ, Miss. McCray drove the suspects to a location around Bayou Drive in Ferriday, where the suspects pulled out a gun and shot him. Although acknowledging he was hesitant, Judge John Reeves recused himself Thursday from conducting a hearing for a convicted Ferriday murderer who has spent the past 10 years in the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Law officials said deputies responded to a report of a. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Natchez pastry chef Molly Manning Robertson in bake off for last spot in Spring Baking Championship finale, VIDEO: Funeral procession for long-time sheriff Tommy Ferrell passes by Adams County Sheriffs Office, Calm, focused and ready: The role of an ER nurse, A Team Sport: Emergency medicine, first-responders share common goal of saving lives, 2023, Mississippi's Best Community Newspaper. The project reporters have already produced information in high-profile cases that prosecutors have used to build criminal cases against killers and conspirators who had walked free for more than 40 years. He was targeted by the SDG. Ferriday police responded to shots fired at approximately noon Sunday and found a man deceased with gunshot wounds upon their arrival. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. In 1965, Klansmen had bombed the home of Whatleys neighbor, Robert L. Buck Lewis Jr., who had raced outside with a shotgun to defend his family against the perpetrators. FERRIDAY, La. Like many Southern crimes against blacks in the 1960s -- an era of racial strife dominated by criminal activities by the Ku Klux Klan -- the incident went unsolved, despite an FBI investigation at the time. At the time of his death, Morris owned the land his shop was on, and he was seen as an honest man who paid his bills on time. Duncan and a few other young, armed Deacons piled into his brothers canary yellow Pontiac to rescue Lewis, who also received help from a white bondsman from New Orleans. Police said the weapon used the shooting was a .45 caliber pistol. Two charged with murder after Natchez Teacher of the Year killed in La. The Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations is currently investigating an officer-involved shooting that took place in Ferriday on Sunday night. Six decades after a Louisiana man's disappearance and presumed murder, his family is still looking for answers and a body to bury. I hate it for him and his family. Two suspects were identified in FBI documents as members of the Silver Dollar Group, a Klan offshoot believed responsible for Morris murder and seven others in Louisiana and Mississippi over a three-year period. The investigation revealed new allegations that local police officers were tampering with the investigation by threatening witnesses. They quickly gave chase, pursuing the yellow Pontiac for several miles before Duncan watched their headlights start fading away. His daily tasks included repairing shoes and saddles, selling jewellery, hats, and clothing, and dyeing purses. FERRIDAY, La. Updated: Aug 18, 2021 / 01:29 PM CDT. . They were identified as 65-year-old Mark Clark and 49-year-old Donna R. Clark, both of Ferriday. Police say it happened on Johnson Street around 5 p.m. Theriots parents, Keith and Elizabeth Theriot, were killed at their home in Ascension Parish and Keith Theriot gave information to investigators before he died that pointed to his son as the suspect, the sheriff of that parish has said. Two suspects have. [2] This witness also received death threats, and his home was fired upon on multiple occasions. It was kind of a barbershop-type of thing where you sit around, you talk about what has happened, who did this and who did that and what to expect next, Whatley recalled. There have been allegations of witness intimidation, evidence tampering, and involvement by local law enforcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) considered the SDG to be a highly-dangerous domestic terror cell, and conducted multiple investigations into its activities. Frank Morris's mother, Charlotte, died shortly after his birth. Mr. McCrays zeal for education, infectious smile, gentle personality, fashion sense, and love for children will be missed by all of us at Natchez-Adams School District. Later on, Anthony Lucky McCraneys gas station was firebombed, marking the sixth act of racial violence in Ferriday within a two-month period, according to CORE documents. "As far as why this happened, that motive is still unclear.". The FBI later concluded that the local Klan was likely to be involved, but conflicting accounts, no viable subjects, and lack of a motive led to the investigation being closed in May1965. Ridgen, a filmmaker from Toronto who reported this story for NPR, helped to spearhead the project with Vancouver-based Paperny Films, and the Berkeley, Calif.-based Center for Investigative Reporting. FERRIDAY Concordia Parish Sheriff's Office deputies investigated two shooting deaths in the area of Lake St. John Sunday night. Every murder is a senseless murder and this one certainly fits those criteria. Upon their arrival, the bodies of Mark Clark, 65, and Donna Clark, 49, of Ferriday, were discovered with fatal gunshot wounds. Later that week, officers Frank DeLaughter and Bill Ogden intimidated Kelly and forced him out of town. The building was burned down in the early morning of December 10, 1964. [2] The FBI had received information that local law enforcement officials had been involved. According to authorities, McCray was a teacher in Natchez with two degrees. One night in January 1966 as Whatley slept, his first cousin and fellow Deacon, Joe Davis, fell asleep during his shift to guard the Whatley home. One such informant, known as Orvin C. "Coonie" Poissot, was a Klansman from Texas who had a relationship with a local sheriff's deputy named Frank Delaughter, whom Poissot implicated as a conspirator in the murder of Frank Morris. Authorities in Louisiana will seek to extradite Theriot from Virginia, Webre said. An identified suspect had also fired a shotgun into the home of Junious "Tee-Wee" Kelly after Kelly had witnessed the arson. The suspects are identified as Jimmy ONeal Lewis and Cedric Tennessee. The group killed an African American man, Frank Morris, by arson in Ferriday, Louisiana, and is suspected in two car bombings of NAACP leaders in Natchez, Mississippi, George Metcalfe and Wharlest Jackson. CONCORDIA PARISH, La. A handful of members throughout the state also served as deacons within their churches, while others made their livings as teachers, construction workers, farm hands and general laborers. Our effort here, as it is everywhere, is to try and uncover the truth.

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