Family of Jerome Stevenson hires Attorney Ben Crump – KALB

LETTSWORTH, La. (KALB) – The family of Jerome Stevenson, an inmate at the Avoyelles Parish DC-1 facility who died in November 2023 after a confrontation with two corrections officers and another inmate, has hired nationally recognized human rights and personal injury lawyer Ben Crump.
Stevenson died on November 6, 2023, after sustaining injuries during a violent altercation on November 4, 2023, prompting an investigation by the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office (APSO). While no lawsuit has been filed, Crump is working with the family and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to investigate the incident further.
Stevenson’s family, alongside Crump and NAACP leaders, held a press conference on February 26, 2024, at St. Mary Missionary Baptist Church in Lettsworth, Louisiana, to provide new details in the investigation.
WATCH THE FULL PRESS CONFERENCE HERE:
An autopsy report obtained by Crump shows Stevenson’s cause of death as “blunt force injuries of head and abdomen and asphyxiation.” The report claims Stevenson’s death was ruled a homicide.
“To the sheriff, we won’t leave this alone until we get full justice for Jerome,” Crump said. “To the warden, we won’t leave this alone until we get full justice for Jerome. We’re fighting because when I look at this autopsy report, it’s heartbreaking. It was literally documented that he was literally beaten to death. This goes beyond reasonable force.”
“You must write us a check, and that check must be filled with justice,” said Dr. Monica Fabre, NAACP Chapter President for Pointe Coupee Parish and Stevenson’s family spokesperson.
APSO announced that on February 16, 2024, three men were arrested in connection to Stevenson’s death, including two corrections officers and an offender. Those arrested were John Contrell Williams for second-degree murder, Byron Oneal White for malfeasance in office, and Frank Overbey III for being an accessory to second-degree murder.
Following their arrests, Corrections Deputies White and Overbey III were transferred to another facility for their safety.
The investigation remains ongoing.
RELATED: APSO provides update on Jerome Stevenson’s death investigation
RELATED: Family speaks out against in-custody death of Avoyelles Parish offender, Jerome Stevenson
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