In the quiet town of Oxford, Mississippi, a community was shaken by the untimely death of Kenneth I. Roberson, a 52-year-old Black male who was a well-respected funeral home director. On October 24, 2015, concerned family members contacted the Oxford Police Department to check on his well-being. In the early morning hours, at approximately 1:35 a.m., officers arrived at his home on Molly Barr Road and made a grim discovery.
Roberson was found deceased inside his residence, and investigators immediately began treating the case as a homicide. The sense of unease in the community deepened when the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office confirmed that Roberson had died from a gunshot wound to the head.
The investigation quickly gained momentum as authorities began to piece together the events leading to Roberson's death. A significant lead emerged when it was discovered that Roberson's gray 2013 Jeep Cherokee was missing from his home. The Oxford Police Department issued a 'be on the lookout' for the vehicle, which was later recovered in Canton after a tip from Crimestoppers. The vehicle was unoccupied when found and was towed back to Oxford for forensic processing. The investigation into the death of the man who owned funeral homes in Pontotoc and Batesville was a top priority, with a constant police presence maintained at his cordoned-off home.
The diligent work of law enforcement led to a significant breakthrough in the case. On October 28, 2015, investigators with the Oxford Police Department, aided by the U.S. Marshals Service, arrested Nathaniel Arnez Huddleston in the Jackson area. Huddleston, a former employee of Roberson's, was charged with murder. The connection between the two men was further illuminated by a previous incident; Huddleston had been arrested in July 2015 for setting fire to Roberson's funeral home in Pontotoc in an attempt to cover up the theft of a safe. Shockingly, he had been released on bond just a month before he killed his former employer.
Nathaniel Huddleston was indicted for capital murder, a charge that could have resulted in the death penalty. However, in a turn of events, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of first-degree murder. In exchange for his plea, Huddleston was sentenced to life in prison. He will be eligible to apply for parole when he turns 65 years old, though it is not guaranteed it will be granted. The resolution of the case brought a measure of closure to the community that had been so affected by the violent end of a man described as being well-known and active in his church.
