Who killed Harold Bruce Cotton? On February 29, 2004, the body of Harold Bruce Cotton, a 52-year-old Black male, was discovered in the back seat of his car on White Springs Road, located on the border of Caddo and DeSoto Parishes. He had been reported missing for three days before two boys who were fishing in the area found his vehicle pulled over on the shoulder of the road. An investigation into his death was launched by the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office.
For years, the case remained cold.
However, a renewed push for information on the ninth anniversary of the homicide in 2013 brought forth new witnesses. This new evidence was substantial enough to present the case to a Caddo Parish Grand Jury. In May 2014, a former Shreveport resident, Jake Robinson, who was 60 years old at the time, was indicted for the second-degree murder of Harold Cotton. Robinson had been living in Claremore, Oklahoma, for several years and was arrested there. After refusing to willingly return to Louisiana, he was extradited to Caddo Parish in July 2014 and booked into the Caddo Correctional Center on a $500,000 bond.
The case took another turn in June 2015 when Jake Robinson faced an additional charge of solicitation for murder. While incarcerated and awaiting trial for Cotton's murder, Robinson allegedly solicited individuals to kill a potential witness in the case. This led to further legal complications for the suspect.
However, in a surprising development in August 2016, the Caddo District Attorney's Office dropped the second-degree murder charge against Jake Robinson. The decision was made after a key witness in the case passed away, and concerns were raised about the accuracy of testimony from other witnesses. The charge of solicitation for murder was also dismissed. Despite the charges being dropped, authorities stated that Robinson remained a suspect in the ongoing investigation into the murder of Harold Bruce Cotton.
