Inmate, 2 Avoyelles Parish deputies arrested in Jerome Stevenson homicide investigation

Melissa Gregory, Alexandria Town Talk
Updated ·2 min read
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Members of Jerome Stevenson's family and others pray at a Dec. 29 news conference about the 26-year-old's death while in custody at an Avoyelles Parish jail facility. An inmate and two correctional deputies have been arrested in connection with Stevenson's death.
Members of Jerome Stevenson's family and others pray at a Dec. 29 news conference about the 26-year-old's death while in custody at an Avoyelles Parish jail facility. An inmate and two correctional deputies have been arrested in connection with Stevenson's death.
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Three men have been charged in connection to the jail beating and death of an Avoyelles Parish inmate.

The Avoyelles Parish Sheriff's Office announced the arrests in the Nov. 4 beating and death two days later of 26-year-old Jerome Stevenson on Saturday through a Facebook post.

Stevenson's family held a news conference on Dec. 29 in front of the sheriff's office in Marksville. During it, attorney Ben Crump spoke to the crowd via cellphone and promised to fight in court while supporters of Stevenson fought in the community.

According to the sheriff office's post, investigators arrested an inmate, 37-year-old John Contrell Williams of Marksville, on a charge of second-degree murder. Williams' bail on that charge was set at $500,000.

Also arrested were two correctional deputies, Byron Oneal White, 60, and Frank Clinton Overbey III, 61. White was arrested on a charge of malfeasance in office, while Overbey was arrested on a charge of being a principal to second-degree murder.

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Bail for White, a resident of Simmesport, was set at $100,000. A resident of Hessmer, Overbey's bail was set at $250,000. Both were arrested and booked into an Avoyelles jail facility, but then were transferred elsewhere "for their safety," reads the release.

Both were listed as inmates in transit at the Rapides Parish Detention Center #1 on Friday. Both still were listed as being in custody on Monday afternoon, according to online jail records.

Williams also was slated to be transferred to another facility, according to the release.

The release also stated the investigation still was continuing.

According to Tim Ryan, the sheriff office's criminal investigations unit commander, both Overbey and White were fired.

This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Avoyelles inmate, deputies charged in beating death of Jerome Stevenson