In the quiet community of Many, Louisiana, the morning of August 19, 2017, was shattered by an act of violence that claimed the life of Jerry Wayne Scott. At 72 years of age, the White/Caucasian male was at his residence in the 1300 block of Matthews Lodge Road when he answered a knock at his front door. Investigators believe that as he went to see who was there, an unknown assailant fired a single gunshot through the storm door.
The bullet struck Scott in the upper chest, and he was found deceased, lying face up on the floor of his living room.
The investigation into the homicide of Jerry Wayne Scott, who was born on March 24, 1945, in DeQuincy, Louisiana, continued for several months. The Sabine Parish Coroner's office initially treated the incident as a potential hate crime, although details regarding the motive were not extensively publicized. For a time, the case remained open with no arrests made or suspects publicly identified, leaving the community seeking answers.
A significant development in the case came in March of 2018 when the Sabine Parish Grand Jury handed down an indictment. Blake Joseph Kendall, a 39-year-old resident of Many, was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder. One of these counts was for the shooting death of Jerry Wayne Scott, officially linking a suspect to the crime that had taken place nearly seven months prior. The indictment marked a crucial step forward in the legal process, bringing the case into the judicial system.
