In what should have been a time of hopeful anticipation, 31-year-old Brittany Jones, who was pregnant, tragically lost her life in Meridian, Mississippi. On June 9, 2022, a domestic disturbance call led to a devastating scene where both Jones and a responding police officer were killed. Remembered as a kind soul with a big heart, Jones was known for her happy attitude and for always making those around her laugh.
She was a certified nursing assistant who was dedicated to her patients and worked multiple jobs to provide for her family.
The tragic events unfolded when Meridian Police Officer Kennis Croom responded to a 911 call regarding a domestic altercation. Upon his arrival, a confrontation ensued, and both he and Jones were fatally shot. Jones's fiancé, 31-year-old Dante Bender, a former police officer, was identified as the suspect. The incident sparked a widespread manhunt for Bender, who fled the scene after the shootings.
The search for Dante Bender concluded the following day, on June 10, 2022, when he was apprehended at a gas station in Ackerman, Mississippi, approximately 80 miles from the location of the killings. Bender was subsequently charged with capital murder for the death of Officer Croom and first-degree murder for the death of Brittany Jones.
In May 2024, Dante Bender pleaded guilty to the charges against him. During the court proceedings, he admitted to being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the shootings. For his crimes, Bender was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the capital murder charge and a concurrent life sentence for the first-degree murder charge.
