In the summer of 2016, the life of 35-year-old Jeremy Fountain of Waveland, Mississippi, was tragically cut short. A male resident of Bay St. Louis, his remains were discovered by family members in a secluded, wooded area in Hancock County's Shoreline Park community on July 11, 2016. He had been missing for several days prior to the grim discovery. The advanced state of decomposition required dental records to officially identify him.
An autopsy later confirmed that Fountain had died from a gunshot wound to the head.
The investigation into Fountain's death quickly connected his case to another recent homicide. Matthew Spooner, also 35 and an acquaintance of Fountain, had been fatally shot in New Orleans just days earlier on July 6. Both men had been shot in the head. Friends indicated that Fountain was often seen with Spooner, who was reportedly a member of the Simon City Royals street gang and had been attempting to start a more family-oriented offshoot of the group.
Law enforcement identified Drew Daniel 'Creep' Bourgeois, a 28-year-old from Bay St. Louis with a criminal history, as the primary suspect in Fountain's murder. Investigators believe that Bourgeois, under the influence of drugs at the time, shot and killed Fountain in the woods. Weeks after Fountain's body was found, Bourgeois was apprehended in Metairie, Louisiana, on a first-degree murder warrant out of Waveland. At the time of his arrest, he was found in a motel room with his girlfriend, methamphetamine, marijuana, and a pistol.
Before facing charges in Mississippi for Fountain's murder, Bourgeois had to address legal issues in Louisiana stemming from the drugs and firearm found during his arrest. After those proceedings, he was extradited to Hancock County, Mississippi, in July 2018 to be formally charged with the murder of Jeremy Fountain. Bourgeois ultimately pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison, with 10 years suspended. He is to serve 30 years of incarceration followed by five years of post-release supervision.
