Inside The Dark Story Of The Jeff Davis 8 Murders In Jennings

(KHLA - Lake Charles, Louisiana) - Between 2005 and 2009 eight murders baffled the Jennings community and Jeff Davis Parish law enforcement.

It was challenging to determine the true cause of death because the majority of the bodies were discovered in decay in canals near the Jennings area.

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A fisherman discovered the first victim, Loretta Lewis, 28, floating in a canal on May 20, 2005. Brittney Gary, 17, Whitnei Dubois, 26, Laconia "Muggy" Brown, 23, Crystal Shay Benoit Zeno, 24, Ernestine Marie Daniels Patterson, 30, and Kristen Gary Lopez, 21 were among the other casualties. In 2009, the last victim, 26-year-old Necole Guillory, was discovered near Interstate 10.

There were close ties between the victims, suspects, and investigators, according to Ethan Brown's book Murder in the Bayou. Additionally, the victims had similar characteristics, including histories of drug abuse and sex work, poverty, and mental instability.

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Prior to their own deaths, the women frequently gave police information about other Jeff Davis 8 victims and also worked as informants on the local drug trade. Witnesses told Louisiana State Police investigators they thought the local police had killed a number of the victims, because of what they knew about Leonard Crochet's (local drug dealer) shooting death at the hands of local police, who was allegedly unarmed.

A Showtime documentary that's based off of Ethan Brown's NY Times Best-selling book is avaliable to watch on the Paramount+ and these other apps.  You can also watch the first episode on YouTube if you don't have these apps.