killing in ferriday, louisiana

Upon their arrival, the bodies of Mark Clark, 65, and Donna Clark, 49, of Ferriday, were discovered with fatal gunshot wounds. McCray dutifully taught Technology Foundations and also served as Assistant Test Coordinator. "[2] The FBI collected evidence at the crime scene and conducted interviews with local law enforcement, local Klan leaders, and witnesses. As far as why this happened, that motive is still unclear," Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre said at the news conference. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. They were identified as 65-year-old Mark Clark and 49-year-old Donna R. Clark, both of Ferriday. Copyright 2019 WLBT. Dakota Theriot, 21, fled to his grandmothers house in Virginia after the killings in Ascension and Livingston parishes Saturday morning, and he was arrested Sunday outside his grandmother's home by deputies who were already there, authorities have said. NATCHEZ, Miss. "He has confessed to killing the five victims," Ard said. CPSO investigates two shooting deaths on Lake St. John Concordia Parish had 14 recorded racially-motivated murders between 1964 and 1967.[4]. 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. "We just know what he did. A local black teacher claimed that after the arson, a rumor was spreading that Morris was facilitating interracial liaisons. Sons of KKK members haunted by sins of their fathers - The Daily Advertiser 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. The preliminary investigation concluded that Morris had not been involved in any racially motivated activities. CONCORDIA PARISH, La. We would make it known that we were alert and we were awake, and they would flee, Whatley said. Delaughter lied about his location during the arson, claiming that he was out of the jurisdiction on a non-emergency call. Much like the Morris case, witness accounts were not corroborating, and in August 1968, the investigation was closed. The population of Adams County was split roughly in half between blacks and whites. They quickly gave chase, pursuing the yellow Pontiac for several miles before Duncan watched their headlights start fading away. No subscription required to play. An identified suspect had also fired a shotgun into the home of Junious "Tee-Wee" Kelly after Kelly had witnessed the arson. There have been allegations of witness intimidation, evidence tampering, and involvement by local law enforcement. No one was hurt during the arrest, Ard said. COREs main task was to test whether the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were being implemented, and for this their workers suffered in Ferriday. CPSO officials said the incident is being investigated as a murder-suicide and there are no suspects at large. 4/23/2021 7:14 AM PT. By Sabrina Simms Robertson. "I dont know what was going through a 7-year-olds mind, but I know it was a lot, so I would imagine that was we know that's why it took so long.". [2] Three new subjects were identified, but the investigators did not uncover any credible physical evidence supporting the allegations. [2] During this investigation, the FBI re-interviewed the living witnesses who had first-hand information about the arson, as well as "family members, business owners and neighbors in the vicinity of the shoe shop, law enforcement officers, community members, and former KKK members". His father, Sullivan, operated a shoe shop in Natchez, Mississippi. The Concordia Parish Sheriff's Office (CPSO) is leading the investigation into the shooting at 106 Gremillion Street. Ferriday, La. Donnie Sanders III, 24, is charged with second-degree murder. Deacons for Defense and Justice in Ferriday, Louisiana took a stand Stanley Nelson is editor of the Concordia Sentinel in Ferriday, Louisiana. He had previously dedicated songs to white women on his radio show and would lean into their cars and occasionally sit in their passenger seats. Some members of local law enforcement, including Concordia Parish Sheriff Department deputies Frank DeLaughter and Bill Ogden, were members of the Silver Dollar Group. For years, David Whatley has wondered how men can be so motivated by hate. He was killed when the shop burned down in 1964. 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. 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. Virginia online court records do not list an attorney for Theriot. This page was last edited on 3 April 2023, at 04:13. So when there was a problem, there was a way of communicating to them what was going on.. Klansmen had learned that McCraney was a member of a secret organization of black activists, the Deacons for Defense and Justice. Justice may finally be served, thanks to the reporting of Stanley Nelson of the weekly Concordia Sentinel. Looking for something special to get your mom for Mothers Day? When Theriot arrived at the home, deputies were already there. The Deacons believed that arming themselves was the only way to hold off the Klan and protect their homes, neighborhoods and the white and black civil rights workers who came from across the country to help achieve equality. Authorities say they have given full confessions and are both charged with murder. [2] In 2008, the FBI, through local media, informed the public that they were offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the Morris case. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Ferriday Police investigating suspected murder-suicide, West Monroe man arrested after allegedly raping adopted daughter, Monroe duo arrested for alleged sex trafficking of minor, 10-year-old shot during argument, Marion man arrested, 2 Winnfield residents arrested following death of 3 year old, One lucky winner in Arkansas is about to become $2.338M richer, La. One unique feature of the Ferriday Deacons was that they had what Whatley called the Junior Deacons League, composed of a half dozen teenagers. Part 3:In Homer, the Deacons defied Willie Rainachs segregation. He said anyone who wants to resolve racial injustices and divisions should do so legally, rather than violently. In Homer, the Deacons defied Willie Rainachs segregation, the 1964 arson murder of Ferriday shoe shop owner Frank Morris, In Bogalusa, the Deacons fought violence with violence, the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication Cold Case Project, Woman works to preserve Bogalusa home turned headquarters of civil rights group, Sons of Klansmen tied to Louisiana murder haunted by sins of their fathers, A half-century ago in Jonesboro, armed black men fought back, Here are 19 of the most influential civil rights leaders of today, George Floyds killing resurrects nightmares for families of civil rights martyrs, the nationwide protests against police abuses today, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. In his first year of teaching at Morgantown, Mr. McCray was named the 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year. [2], On August 3, 1967, a confidential informant, who was a high-ranking officer of the KKK, told the FBI that a few days prior to the Morris arson, E.D. Morace approached the informant regarding an African American, referred to as "Old Frank", whom Morace said "had been flirtatious with white women". No one was ever arrested for the . Their assistance was invaluable and their response in working this case with us, he said. He was able to escape the shop but sustained burns on 100% of his body. CONCORDIA PARISH, La. Harp described Morris as an alcoholic and had two confrontations with him during 19631965, as well as a small argument outside of the courthouse. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. In Ferriday, La., an 'outlaw town,' the Deacons took a stand According to LSP,. The Deacons came to life solely to protect their communities and others victimized by Klansmen and police. 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". Whatley said Deacons held meetings at Mercy Seat Baptist Church, where shoe shop owner Frank Morris had served as an usher, as well as Mount Olive Baptist Church and St. Charles Catholic Church. Updated: Aug 18, 2021 / 01:29 PM CDT. Vidalia juvenile dies in fatal crash in Concordia Parish Morris was interviewed three times; however, he was heavily medicated. So far no charges have been filed. "[6][pageneeded], Ferriday locals thought highly of Morris, who was a community-centric man who gave many young black men their first paying job; Morris also hosted a radio gospel program. [2] This witness also received death threats, and his home was fired upon on multiple occasions. The state of Mississippi in the Jim Crow era was infamous for racially-fueled lynchings. FERRIDAY, La. The Natchez-Adams School District said he taught 8th grade at Morgantown Middle School. Lewis raced outside with a shotgun. Two killed in Ferriday | KTVE - myarklamiss.com Although both the Deacons and its younger subgroup were secretive, they let members of the black community know they would protect them from the Klan and law enforcement. Cops are investigating a double shooting -- including one fatality -- in the now-famous L.A. neighborhood where the movie "Friday" was filmed. Concordia Parish authorities investigating suspected murder-suicide, West Monroe man arrested after allegedly raping adopted daughter, Monroe duo arrested for alleged sex trafficking of minor, 10-year-old shot during argument, Marion man arrested, 2 Winnfield residents arrested following death of 3 year old, One lucky winner in Arkansas is about to become $2.338M richer, La. [3][4], In 2007, Silver Dollar Group member James Ford Seale was charged and convicted for the May 1964 kidnapping of Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore, two African-American young men in Meadville, Mississippi.[5]. Ferriday Police investigating suspected murder-suicide [6] Although people generally thought highly of Morris, black residents thought Morris was too shocking to white residents. A month after Seale was indicted in January 2007, the FBI announced a new cold case initiative and published a shortlist of about 100 civil rights era cases that it planned to reprobe. 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. Violent Klansmen had long been embedded with corrupt cops, some of whom wore robes themselves. Nelson is a member of the Civil Rights Cold Case Project, a group of journalists, filmmakers, law schools and other organizations created in 2008 by Paperny Films in Canada and the Center for Investigative Reporting in Berkeley, Calif. With the help of FBI documents Nelson received through Freedom of Information requests and from the Syracuse College of Law Cold Case Justice Initiative, and extensive interviews with those who knew Morris or about the case, he was able to piece together the story, ultimately naming a person suspected of being involved: Arthur Leonard Spencer, 71, of Rayville, La.

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