A man serving a life sentence for killing a Leflore County sheriff’s deputy 28 years ago will soon be eligible for parole.
Earnest Conrod, 89, shot and killed Melvin “Buster” Brown in 1994 while Brown, 45, was responding to a domestic disturbance west of Itta Bena.
Conrod’s parole hearing has not been set but should be scheduled for sometime in August, said Jeffery Belk, chairman of the Mississippi Parole Board.
He added that he has received 40 emails and letters in opposition to Conrod’s parole thus far.
One person opposed is Sheriff Ricky Banks, who said he has opposed Conrod’s parole in the past.
“(Brown) was a good deputy,” Banks said. “He did what you told him to do. He was on the spot most of the time. He wasn’t the kind that was looking for trouble, but he was the kind that honored the people and served the public.”
Brown, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, was a New Orleans native. In addition to working as a sheriff’s deputy, he also had worked at the Greenwood Police Department, Life Help mental health center and the Commonwealth.
Banks recalled the circumstances of Brown’s death, which are now a matter of record.
On April 18, 1994, Conrod’s wife, Pearlean, had gone to the Leflore County Courthouse and told then-Justice Court Clerk Alberta Baker that Conrod had threatened to kill her.
Brown accompanied Pearlean back to the home she shared with Conrod to gather her belongings. Upon their arrival, Conrod ambushed Brown and shot him with a shotgun, killing him.
Conrod also shot Pearlean, though she survived her injuries.
He then traveled to Indianola to confront the man he alleged was having an affair with his wife. Conrod was shot 11 times during a shootout with Indianola police.
He was left wheelchair-bound as a result.
He pleaded guilty to capital murder for Brown’s death. He was also convicted of six counts of aggravated assault for the Indianola shootout.
Letters opposed to or in support of Conrod’s parole may be mailed to the state Parole Board at 600 North St., Suite 100A, Jackson, MS 93202.
Emails may be sent to MsStateParoleBoard@mdoc.state.ms.us.
- Contact Kevin Edwards at 662-581-7233 or kedwards@gwcommonwealth.com.
