In mid-June of 2020, the family of Dedrick Grant Jr., a 28-year-old male from Ponchatoula, Louisiana, grew concerned when he did not return from a trip to Mississippi. He had been last seen on June 18, 2020, in the company of several friends. As days passed with no contact, his family reported him missing, fearing he may have been robbed or come to harm.
Their worst fears were realized on June 24, 2020, when Grant's body was discovered in a wooded area near the airport in Lumberton, Mississippi. An autopsy later confirmed that he had sustained at least one gunshot wound. The investigation that followed pointed to a robbery that had turned fatal.
The multi-agency investigation, which included law enforcement from both Louisiana and Mississippi, quickly led to suspects. Rachel Danielle Dean, a 35-year-old woman, and Michael David Benge, a 38-year-old man, both from Hattiesburg, were arrested and charged with capital murder and armed robbery. Benge was apprehended during a traffic stop where he was found in possession of a stolen handgun, believed to be the weapon used in the murder. A third individual, Larry McCarty, was also taken into custody and charged with Accessory After the Fact to Capital Murder. Dean was held without bond, while Benge was initially held on a $100,000 bond for the stolen weapon charge before facing the murder charges.
