In the early morning hours of October 5, 1996, a male Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Deputy, James Lee Clarius, aged 34, was killed in Metairie, Louisiana. The incident occurred at the intersection of West Esplanade Avenue and Page Drive. Clarius, a nine-year veteran of the sheriff's office, was engaged in a struggle with a suspect who had allegedly committed an armed robbery at a nearby convenience store just half an hour earlier.
During the altercation, the suspect managed to overpower the deputy and gain control of his service weapon.
The assailant then shot Clarius four times, with one bullet striking him in the heart. After the shooting, the suspect stood over the fallen deputy and fired three more shots. Approximately ten minutes after the incident, a resident discovered the wounded deputy in the street and he was quickly transported to East Jefferson Hospital. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, James Lee Clarius succumbed to his injuries. At the time of his death, his marked police car was found nearby with its engine running and overhead lights on.
Three days after the fatal shooting, the suspect, identified as 21-year-old Ulysses Jones Jr., turned himself in to authorities. Jones was subsequently arrested and booked with the murder of Deputy Clarius and the armed robbery of the convenience store. The investigation that followed led to a trial where a jury unanimously convicted Ulysses Jones Jr. of first-degree murder on April 27, 1999. Following the conviction, the jury could not reach a unanimous decision during the penalty phase of the trial. As a result, the judge sentenced Jones to life in prison without the possibility of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.
