A man accused of killing a Vicksburg native in 2022 has died in a Tennessee prison. BJ Brown fatally shot his former girlfriend, Cassandra Jones, a Vicksburg resident.
Brown died in November 2024 while serving a life sentence in Tennessee for a crime committed while on the run.
Jones was shot around 9:30 a.m. on the 1400 block of Iberville Street in New Orleans. The event was caught on video.
While Jones lies defenseless, the suspect, known as Brown, violently shoots her. The incident launched a manhunt that ultimately led to Tennessee. An Erin police officer stopped Brown while he was in Tennessee. Brown shot the officer and left the scene (life sentence). The police eventually caught him.
“This very violent perpetrator took Ms. Jones’ life in a very brazen way,” New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams said. It’s on video and went on the run.”
Jones had a restraining order against Brown when the murder occurred, but he never appeared in court. According to the restraining order, Brown punched, choked, shoved, kicked, threatened, intimidated, and sexually abused her, as well as harmed her mentally, emotionally, and financially.
He murdered Jones in broad daylight using an execution-style method. He shot Jones with an AR-15 rifle and then fired another shot as she was lying in a parking lot.
Tennessee prison officials did not provide many specifics concerning Brown’s death, but they did say that there were no signs of foul play.
