A 35-year-old Hattiesburg woman was arrested and charged in the capital murder of a Louisiana man Wednesday, while warrants were also issued for a 35-year-old man, Lamar County Sheriff Danny Rigel said.
Rachael Danielle Dean is being held in the Lamar County Jail on a capital murder charge. Her bond has been set at $100,000 in the shooting death of Dedrick Grant of Ponchatoula, La. Grant had been listed as a missing person, and law enforcement officers found his body at 2:30 a.m. Thursday off Four Mile Road of Lumberton in a heavily wood area.
Rigel said Grant’s body was discovered with a one gunshot wound. His body was sent to Jackson for autopsy.
“We also have warrants out for Michael David Benge, 38, of Hattiesburg with a warrant for capital murder for him," Rigel said. “He is currently in jail in Jones County for possession of stolen property – a 9 mm handgun stolen from Hattiesburg.”
Rigel said the underlying cause for capital murder was the armed robbery of the 9mm handgun from Grant.
Law enforcement units that coordinated in the investigation were the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office, Ponchatoula (La.) Police Department, The FBI office in New Orleans, Jackson and Hattiesburg; Jones County District Attorney, Laurel Police Department, and the Hattiesburg Police Department.