Killing of John C. Jones in Louisiana in 1946

Incident

Case summary

John C. Jones (1915-1946), an oil refinery worker and WWII veteran, was kidnapped from a jail cell and beaten to death by a group of men in Webster Parish, Louisiana. Jones and his cousin Albert Harris, Jr., were accused of peering into a white woman’s house through the window. They were arrested and taken to jail, then kidnapped, taken to a nearby bayou, beaten, and left for dead. Harris survived but Jones did not. The DOJ pursued a criminal jury trial against the assailants. The jury acquitted the men.

Victim(s):

John C. Jones


Alleged perpetrators/other named individuals:

[given name unknown] Coyle

Sidney Dean

John Dennis

Roy Dick

Charley Edwards

Benjamin Geary Gantt

Gordon Harris

Oscar Haynes Jr.

Gilbert Key

Sam Mettrick Sr.

Sam Mettrick Jr.

Sam Perkins

Tillman Perkins

Willie Jordan Perkins

Harry Edward Perry

Perpetrator group type: police, mob

Date of incident: 1946-08-08
Location: Minden, Webster Parish, Louisiana
Location type: public space - rural
Allegation against victim: engaging in peeping tom behavior; attempting to rape a white woman

Coroner process
Coroner/inquest: yes
Finding of no legal responsibility: no

Criminal process
Arrest: yes
Charge/indictment/information: [ ]
Grand jury: yes
Trial: yes
Conviction: no
Sentence: [ ]

FBI case ID:

Chicago 44-58

New Orleans 44-131

San Francisco 44-29

New Orleans 44-150

DOJ case ID:

144-33-24


Civil lawsuits/claims filed: yes

Document(s):
advocacy group resources
correspondence
court records
death certificates
federal agency records
news articles - closed
scholarly works
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