A former Newton police officer will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty to killing his fiancée and a Meridian police officer in 2022.
During his appearance in Lauderdale County Circuit Court on Wednesday, Dante Bender was sentenced to two life terms: life in prison for the first-degree murder of Brittany Jones and life without parole for the capital murder of Officer Kennis Croom.
The incident occurred on the 2400 block of 51st Avenue in Meridian at the home of Brittany Jones on June 9, 2022. Jones had previously been a resident of Newton County. After the Meridian Police Department received a call about a domestic disturbance, Officer Croom was dispatched to the scene and was informed that one person was being held at gunpoint. Shortly thereafter, gunshots were reported. When a second officer arrived, they called out that Officer Croom was down. Inside the residence, officers found Jones suffering from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Officer Croom was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Immediately after the incident, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation issued a statewide Blue Alert for Bender. After extensive searches in Newton County and nearby areas, the Choctaw County Sheriff’s Department received a tip that Bender was possibly located in their county. He was later taken into custody behind an abandoned business in Ackerman, at the intersection of Highways 12 and 15, about 75 miles north of his hometown of Newton and 80 miles from the location of the incident.
Marshals were assisted by the Ackerman Police Department, Choctaw County Sheriff’s Department, and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. They also confiscated a weapon that was in Bender’s possession at the time of the arrest, which they believe is the murder weapon.
At the Choctaw County Correctional Facility, Bender was placed in the handcuffs that belonged to Croom before he was transported back to Meridian, according to photos posted by the Ackerman Police Department.
