In the spring of 1981, the community of Jackson, Tennessee, was shaken by the violent death of a beloved local figure. On the morning of Friday, May 15, 1981, Reverend John Jay Jackson, a 35-year-old male priest, was discovered deceased inside the rectory of St. Mary's Catholic Church. An autopsy would later reveal that he had died from a gunshot wound to the back of his right shoulder, with a second, non-fatal gunshot wound to his left shoulder.
The scene at the rectory suggested a struggle had taken place; a sliding glass door was shattered, papers were scattered, and an overturned potted plant lay on a coffee table. The drawers of a desk in the bedroom had been ransacked, and coins were strewn across the floor, with the victim's pockets turned out. The medical examiner determined that Father Jackson had likely been killed the previous evening, between 8:00 and 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 14. He had been seen leaving a dinner with a local family between 8:00 and 8:10 p.m., a short three-minute walk from the rectory.
The investigation into the murder of Father Jackson soon focused on Laron Ronald Williams. Williams was a fugitive, having escaped from prison where he was serving a sentence for the 1977 murder of a prostitute in Nashville. In the days following his escape, Williams had also murdered a Memphis police lieutenant. Just two days after that killing, he arrived in Jackson and burglarized the St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, a crime that culminated in the fatal shooting of Reverend Jackson. Williams was apprehended by authorities three days later at a restaurant near a motel where he had been staying.
Laron Ronald Williams was subsequently charged with the first-degree murders of both the police officer and Father Jackson. He faced separate trials for these crimes and was convicted in both cases. For the murder of Reverend John Jay Jackson, Williams was found guilty of first-degree murder and first-degree burglary. He was sentenced to death for the murder and received a ten to fifteen-year sentence for the burglary. Following his convictions, Williams was placed on death row. However, before his execution could be carried out, he was killed by fellow inmates in 1985. Two inmates were later convicted of voluntary manslaughter for his death and received eight-year sentences.
