On the evening of October 13, 1982, in Jackson, Mississippi, 34-year-old Earl Wayne Peeples and his acquaintance, 32-year-old Danny King, encountered two men at a local establishment known as The Other Side Lounge. The two strangers, Donald William Dufour and Robert Taylor, had recently arrived in the city from Florida. After socializing at the bar, the group eventually moved to Peeples' apartment, situated in the city, during the early morning hours of October 14. It was within the confines of this residence that the night turned violent.
According to court records and testimony, the gathering was a pretext for robbery. Once inside the apartment, Dufour and Taylor turned on their hosts. The assailants used knives and a screwdriver to attack the two men, resulting in the deaths of both Peeples and King. The perpetrators ransacked the apartment and searched the victims, turning their pockets inside out and stealing valuables, including jewelry and Peeples' vehicle. The crime scene was discovered later, revealing the brutal nature of the double homicide which investigators linked to a potential robbery motive targeting individuals met at the lounge.
Law enforcement officers apprehended Donald Dufour in Jackson four days after the murders, interrupting his continued criminal activities in the area. His accomplice, Robert Taylor, was also taken into custody. Both men were charged in connection with the slayings. The investigation revealed that Dufour had a history of violent crime; he was already a suspect in separate murders committed in Florida prior to his arrival in Mississippi. The forensic evidence gathered from the apartment, along with Taylor’s testimony against his partner, built a strong case for the prosecution.
The judicial proceedings against Donald Dufour commenced in the First Judicial District of Hinds County. The prosecution presented evidence that the murders were committed during the commission of a robbery, elevating the charge to capital murder. Despite a plea of innocence, a jury found Dufour guilty of the capital murder of Earl Wayne Peeples. Following the conviction, the same jury recommended the death penalty. Dufour was sentenced to die, a judgment that was upheld through subsequent appeals. Robert Taylor was also convicted for his role in the crimes, receiving a death sentence for the murder of Danny King.
