Jimmy Cockrell

Death by Force

In the summer of 1977, a chance encounter on a wooded road near Colfax, Louisiana, ended the life of 38-year-old Jimmy Cockrell. On June 28th of that year, Cockrell was with his motorcycle when he crossed paths with two men who were in the midst of a violent crime spree. Those men were Paul Ruiz and Earl Van Denton, fugitives who had recently escaped from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.

Ruiz and Denton had a history of violent crime and their escape on June 23, 1977, marked the beginning ...Read More

Encyclopedia of Arkansas: Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Ruiz, Denton Seek to Overturn Convictions - The Oklahoman

    ...View 1 additional sources