~ BRUTAL BAYOU ~

(Update 3/4/12:  Episode can be viewed here)

The JDP 8 unsolved female murders will be featured on Investigation Discovery’s new series, Dark Minds on Wednesday, February 29th, 10pm (check local listing for correct time zone).  The episode is titled BRUTAL BAYOU and below is the synopsis of the upcoming program:

Jennings, Louisiana is the largest city in Jefferson Davis Parish, about halfway between Houston and New Orleans. Around 11,000 people call this quiet rural town home, and nearly a third of the population lives below the poverty line.

Now, they’ve got more to worry about than just keeping food on the table… Locals think a serial killer is on the loose, and it’s got everyone on edge.

Between 2006 and 2009, 8 girls were killed and dumped on the lonely backroads of the Parish. Girls from the wrong side of the tracks… the badlands of drugs and poverty.

Whoever killed them is still out there, meaning that any day, another innocent girl could join the ranks of The Brutal Bayou murders.

The victims share two things — they were all high when they died, and many of them hung out at a party house on the seamy south side of town. But they’re different races, and they were killed in different sadistic ways. Are police sure it’s a serial killer?

It’s hard to say. Townspeople are suspicious of the cops, accusing them of corruption, dirty tactics and trickery, so in the absence of an arrest, rumors and conspiracies rule the day. It’s a case as murky as a Louisiana bayou…

Born and bred Yankee M. William Phelps is a fish out of water in the Deep South, but as he works to break the Cajun code of silence and dig up new information, he finds himself backed into a corner…

So he turns to master profiler John Kelly and his secret weapon, convicted murderer “13″… because without the Dark Mind of a serial killer, The Brutal Bayou murders may just sink into a swamp of rumor and conjecture.

The program will re-air on March 1st (1:00 am) and March 3rd (12:00 pm).

~ New Info Surfaces in Muggy Brown Case ~

According to the February 12, 2012 edition of the Jennings Daily News, police recently obtained new information on the Muggy Brown murder case. There’s not really too much information in the article but I’m posting a snippet below.

~ jdpkiller discussion forum ~

To answer many inquiries I’ve received…..No, you have not “been kicked off the forum”.  Unfortunately there is a problem logging into the discussion forum though.  It’s a ‘technical difficulty’ which is beyond my control and, from what I can gather, could be an ongoing problem for the next few weeks.  Hopefully not any longer than that.

~ JDP Violent Crimes Synopsis ~

This is a cross-post from the jdpkiller discussion forum .  You have to be a member to read there but, out of the kindness of my heart, I am posting it here as well.  Long time commenter and retired Chicago PD Officer, Ketchum, compiled this chronological time line and synopsis from her own investigation as well as from various media sources.  Her synopsis is alarming not only in length but content as well.  I don’t know what the rest of you will think, but…..the list boggles my mind.  I find the amount and types of crimes and arrests excessive and many seem ‘violent’.  The fact that so many remain unsolved is unsettling.  Get comfy cause it’s a looooooong read!!!

~ A Serial Killer in Jennings, Louisiana – Part 12 ~

Behind The Yellow Tape – A Serial Killer in Jennings, LA – Part 12

Host:  Joey Ortega
Guest:  Kirk Menard & Michael Dubois
Airdate:  Fri, Sep 16, 2011

A little ‘disclaimer’ prior to the re-cap…..due to my own time constraints lately, the following was basically typed out without much regard to sentence structure, grammar or punctuation.  In other words…..it’s rather raw.  None-the-less, I trust that all reading will get the full gist of the interview.  I was ‘alerted’ via several emails, AND phone calls, that if I hadn’t listened to this particular show yet….I REALLY needed to soon.  It took me a little longer than I would have liked it to but, I did finally listen to it.  I have to say, those that ‘alerted’ me about the show WERE right!  Parts of it were quite surprising and really ‘eye opening’ and some of it rather shocking I must say.  As always, besides my feeble, typed re-cap….you can listen to the show in it’s entirety and verbatim at the link provided above.

Recap of the show:

Joey Ortega was joined on this show by Michael Dubois (brother of 4^th victim Whitnei Dubois) who has stirred up controversy in his own right.  People have questioned whether Mike was looking for publicity or if he really was on a “crusade” to find his sister’s killer.

~ A Serial Killer in Jennings, Louisiana – Part 8 ~

Behind The Yellow Tape – A Serial Killer in Jennings, LA – Part 8

Host:  Joey Ortega
Guest:  Murphy Lewis (spouse of 1^st victim Loretta Chaisson Lewis)
Airdate:  Fri, Jul 29, 2011

Recap of the show:

Loretta Chaisson Lewis

Murphy Lewis returned to the show for a second time to continue discussion about his wife’s unsolved case.  When asked why he had waited so long to speak publicly about his wife’s death and why now, Murphy explained that since he had no answers about her death he felt it was just wiser to stay out of the media.  He was also concerned that speaking out might have traumatized his children, who are his top priority, even further.  He also explained that the social climate has changed since the deaths began occurring and people are less trusting and concerned that law enforcement is not exposing evidence related to the deaths.

Joey asked Lewis what he thought had happened to his wife since he knew her better than anyone. 

~ A Serial Killer in Jennings, LA – Part 7 ~

 

Guest:  Murphy Lewis (spouse of 1^st victim Loretta Chaisson Lewis)
Host:  Joey Ortega
Airdate:  Fri, Jul 22, 2011

Recap of the show:

For the first time, after six years of silence, Murphy Lewis, the husband of Loretta Chaisson Lewis made a decision to speak publicly about his wife and her death.  Loretta, who is believed to be the first victim in a series of 8 unsolved deaths/murders in Jeff Davis Parish, was found May 20, 2005 floating in the east fork of the Grand Marais Canal a few miles southwest of Jennings.

Murphy was at work when he first learned that his wife might be deceased.  His mother had begun to hear rumors that a female body had been found and that it might be Loretta.  His mother picked him up from work and they began to check into the rumor but they would have no answers until four days later when law enforcement finally advised the family they had gotten a positive identification that the body was indeed Loretta’s.

~ A Serial Killer in Jennings, LA – Part 6 ~

Behind The Yellow Tape – A Serial Killer in Jennings, LA – Part 6

Guest Dr. Maurice Godwin
Host Joey Ortega
Fri, Jul 1, 2011

Recap of the show:

Profiler, Dr. Maurice Godwin, was hired early in the investigation to look into the multiple, unsolved, mysterious deaths of several women in Jeff Davis Parish Louisiana. Questions have arisen as to whether the deaths are the work of a lone killer or if there are multiple killers. This show concentrates on whittling down some of the theories and Dr. Godwin provides a brief background about criminal profiling. A “profile”….be it geographic or psychological, is an investigative tool. It is not intended as a method of solving a crime but as a “tool” to focus an investigation.

Psychological profiling is based on crime scene behaviors only. Generally, the public does not understand that what is done to a body, the location of the body and the interpretation of those behaviors (or lack of behaviors at the crime scene) “paint a picture” of the type of individual who is committing the crimes.

~ A Serial Killer in Jennings, LA – Part 2 ~

Behind The Yellow Tape – A Serial Killer in Jennings, LA – Part 2

Guests Kirk Menard & Stacy Dittrich
Host Joey Ortega
Thu, Jun 2, 2011

Recap of the show:

Kirk got involved in the cases approximately a few weeks before 7th victim Brittney Gary went missing. He was hired by 3 family members, is still active in the investigation and handles all 3 cases collectively. He was hired to do what family members felt Sheriff Edwards and his task force would not, or could not do, which is find and catch the killer(s). Asked by Joey if he was convinced these are serial killer cases, Kirk stated that he believes so based on the geographic profile and where the bodies were located. He believes there are one…..or a few…..of the same common offenders responsible.

Kirk explained that initially, LE thought he was was doing more harm than good to the investigation because he was a 3rd party and was not privy to any “inside” information. He clarified he was hired by family members for information gathering purposes only. His task was, and still is, to gather information “on the streets” from people that are skeptical or hesitant about contacting LE

~ Break The Silence ~

For those of you that may not be aware, there was recently an excellently written Jennings Daily News editorial titled, The people of Welsh need to make a decision.  Although it is directed to the citizens of Welsh, I believe the message is applicable to ALL of Jeff Davis Parish considering the number of unsolved crimes and, particularly the many unsolved murders plaguing the communities there.

 The following excerpts from the editorial are the ones that stood out most to me and I hope they make a big impact on those of you that read them as well:

 It doesn’t take one person to decide the fate of a town; it takes everyone inside that town.

 If one person has information about any type of crime but refuses to share that information, they are allowing the problems to continue. They are allowing those people who choose to make others’ lives miserable the chance to cause even more chaos. It’s understandable to fear retaliation from those people and their friends and family. But it’s not okay to allow your town to continue crumbling under that fear.

~ Jesse Ewing To Run For JDP Sheriff Position ~

Former Jennings City Police Sergeant, Jesse Ewing, has announced his intent to run for Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff.

JENNINGS, LA (KPLC) -

He was fired from his job as Jennings Police Sergeant after he turned over criminal evidence to a civilian without permission from his supervisors. Now, Jesse Ewing wants to be sheriff of Jeff Davis Parish.

Ewing admits his history in law enforcement is not only his biggest asset, since  it shows he has experience; it could also be his biggest challenge, as he tries to overcome public perception that he was a dirty cop.

~ Synopsis On BTYT Episode 1 – Godwin & Dittrich ~

I posted a synopsis of the first Behind The Yellow Tape – A Serial Killer In Jennings – Part 1 on the JDP Killer discussion forum and thought I’d repost it here on the blog for those of you that don’t follow the discussion forum or may have not had the opportunity to listen to the show.  I thought the show was great and agree with many that a 1-hour show would be even nicer and allow listeners time to call in.  Parts of the discussion that I found particularly interesting:

~ Reminder ~

Quick reminder…..the Behind The Yellow Tape broadcast airs tomorrow night at 10pm (CDT).  Be sure to tune in!!!

~ Unexpected Surprise (5/6/11 update)~

I received an unexpected surprise when I logged on to my facebook account this afternoon!  It was an invite to a new blog radio show called Behind The Yellow Tape.  The reason I was particularly surprised, and now excited, is because the pilot broadcast will be an overview and discussion about the eight unsolved female murders in Jeff Davis Parish.  Special guest will be psychological and geographic profiler, Dr. Maurice Godwin.  Listeners are invited to call in with questions for Dr. Godwin.

~ Remembrance Memorial ~

Staff from The Advertiser were in Jennings April 6th to document and photograph family and friends of the 8 female murder victims as they gathered in remembrance of their loved ones.   Members of a group named Parents of Murdered Children were also in attendance to offer their support to family members.

The memorial was organized by Paul Nixon (Kodiak Productions), who began work on a documentary about  Jennings, and  the unsolved murders, over a year and a half ago with the hope that continued coverage of the cases would re-ignite interest in them.

~ Documentarian Returns To Jennings ~

Article in The Advertiser about Paul Nixon’s return to Jennings:

Documentarian returns to Jennings (link no longer valid due to archiving)
Written by Amanda McElfresh
March 26, 2011

Despite the wealth of information, Nixon said he felt he needed more interviews and coverage of the town of Jennings, thus prompting the return trip.

“I’m also intrigued by the fact that the cases seem to have gone very, very cold, and we’d like to find out if apparent quiet surrounding the homicides means that people are starting to move on with their lives, or if the town is still emotionally raw underneath it all,” Nixon said via email.

In addition to filming, Nixon also hopes to organize some type of memorial or remembrance event for victims Loretta Chaisson, Ernestine Patterson, Kristen Lopez, Whitnei Dubois, “Muggy” Brown, Crystal Zeno, Brittney Gary and Guillory.

More at the link.

~ Kodiak Productions Returning To Jennings ~

I’m very excited to let you know Paul Nixon, of Kodiak Productions, will be returning to the Jennings area on Tuesday, March 29th to conduct additional interviews and filming for the documentary he has been hard at work on. He will be in the area through Thursday, April 7th.

Paul has a wonderful idea in mind, which is to have a day of “remembrance” for the 8 murdered women. There are no plans for a “formal ceremony” and the invitation is open to family, friends, past school mates, work colleagues and those who are just concerned citizens. All who would like to participate in this wonderful memorial, and day of reminiscing, are encouraged to bring along photos, videos, favorite items belonging to the girls, and any memories/anecdotes you might have of them to share with others and for the documentary.

~ “Jeff Davis Murder Search Alive On The Web” ~

While I’m dishing out “thank you’s” to Paul I’d also like to pass one out to our local media, Amanda McElfresh…..reporter for Lafayette’s Daily Advertiser!!!

Due to lack of update information about the JDP murder cases….there has been very little for the media to report on other than running repetitive stories.  It gets difficult keeping the murders “visible” and “public” media wise and no one knows that better than me.  I’m pretty impressed that Ms. McElfresh found a different perspective in getting the story back out there (link no longer valid due to archiving) and REMINDING people that there is a prolific killer(s) still running loose in the area.

~ Kodiak Productions Documentary (Update) ~

A cheerful hello to you all and Happy New Year as well!!!

It’s gotten to be so long between posts I sometimes forget how some of the editing features here work.  I sincerely apologize for not writing more often but, as those you that follow the cases closely are aware, there have been no recent updates about the murders.

I do have something exciting to update you on though.  Paul Nixon (Kodiak Productions) and I were recently able to reconnect after having lost touch for a period of time.  He assured me that he is still following the cases and, like many of us, regrets there has been no resolution thus far.  The GOOD NEWS is, the planned documentary detailing the murders is in the final editing stage.

~ Happy Mother’s Day ~