In the summer of 1977, a crime spree by two escaped convicts brought tragedy to the small town of Franklinton, Louisiana. Ray Jones, a 65-year-old male, was one of the victims in a double murder that shook the community. On June 28, 1977, Jones and his companion, 66-year-old Alton Wilson, were reported missing. Their disappearance was part of a violent chain of events that spanned multiple states.
The men responsible for the deaths of Jones and Wilson were identified as Paul Ruiz and Earl Van Denton, who had escaped from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary on June 23, 1977. Following their escape, Ruiz and Van Denton embarked on a violent crime spree that included multiple kidnappings and murders across Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Their victims in Louisiana, prior to the murders of Jones and Wilson, included James "Jimmy" Cockrell in Colfax.
The fate of Ray Jones and Alton Wilson remained unknown for nearly ten months.
It wasn't until April 29, 1978, that their bodies were discovered in a gravel pit near Franklinton. They were found inside a pickup truck that had been submerged in the water. The truck belonged to another man, Gerald Tiffee, who was believed to be the first victim of Ruiz and Van Denton's deadly rampage after their prison break.
Following the murders in Louisiana, Ruiz and Van Denton continued their crime spree, which ultimately led to the murders of two law enforcement officers in Arkansas: Magazine Police Marshal Marvin Richie and park ranger Opal Lee James. Their run from the law came to an end on July 8, 1977, when they were apprehended in Portland, Oregon.
Ruiz and Van Denton were extradited to Arkansas to stand trial for the murders of the law enforcement officers. They were convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. While they were implicated in the murders of Ray Jones and Alton Wilson, they were not tried for those specific crimes. On January 8, 1997, both Paul Ruiz and Earl Van Denton were executed by lethal injection at the Cummins Unit in Arkansas, bringing an end to their violent legacy.
