Jalen Leverette (George County Regional Correctional Facility) and Deputy Raleigh Dueitt (FreeFunder)
A 26-year-old man in Mississippi has been arrested for allegedly killing his own 77-year-old grandfather and then intentionally running down a sheriff’s deputy while attempting to flee from authorities in the elderly man’s vehicle. Jalen Leverette was taken into custody last week and charged with one count of capital murder in the slaying of C.L. Leverette.
Leverette is also facing two counts of attempted murder in connection with the alleged incident.
According to a report from Biloxi ABC and CBS affiliate WLOX, the incident took place on Thursday, Feb. 1 in the Avera community, which is about 125 miles southeast of Jackson.
Court documents obtained by Mobile, Alabama, Fox affiliate WALA provided more details about what transpired.
The station reported that deputies with the Green County Sheriff’s Office on the afternoon of Feb. 1 responded to a request for a welfare check on the elder Leverette’s home. Upon arriving at the scene, first responders encountered Jalen Leverette on the property. He allegedly ignored their commands before taking his grandfather’s car and speeding off. Deputies pursued the suspect.
During the ensuing chase, Jalen Leverette allegedly swerved out of his lane in an intentional effort to run over a sheriff’s deputy, resulting in one of the attempted murder charges. That deputy did fire at the suspect’s vehicle, law enforcement officials told WALA.
A few minutes after the near-miss, a sheriff’s deputy reportedly exited his vehicle and tried to place spike strips in the road ahead of the suspect to disable his vehicle. However, before the deputy could get the device in place, authorities say Jalen Leverette intentionally swerved the car and ran over the deputy.
A short while later, Jalen Leverette reportedly crashed his grandfather’s car and attempted to flee the area on foot while holding a firearm, WLOX reported. Deputies reportedly fired shots at Jalen Leverette, who eventually surrendered to authorities and was taken into custody.
Greene County Coroner Ladd Pulliam told WALA that C.L. Leverette’s body was not found for several hours following his grandson’s arrest. The remains were reportedly located just after midnight in a wooded area close to his residence. His body had been covered with a mattress and several old tires, Pulliam reportedly told the station.
While an official cause of death for C.L. Leverette has not yet been determined, Pulliam reportedly said it appeared that the 77-year-old man died from blunt force trauma. An autopsy for the victim is scheduled to be performed on Monday.
A spokesperson for the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations, which is leading the investigation, reportedly told WALA that additional charges are expected to be filed against Jalen Leverette.
The deputy struck by the suspect’s vehicle was identified as Raleigh Dueitt, according to an online fundraising page to help him and his family.
“He is currently in ICU at the University of South Alabama in Mobile,” the FreeFunder page says. “He is an incredibly prideful person that always puts everyone before himself and would never ask for help. I am certain that I will be in trouble for starting this page.”
The page had raised just over $2,000 as of Monday morning.
