Prison guard killed in the line of duty remembered 50 years later: The story of A. “Holly” Koerper – The Vicksburg Post

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Pace (right) is pictured with Todd Horn, a deputy sheriff who was assigned to accompany Stevenson to court and back home during the trial. (Sally Green/The Vicksburg Post)

Pictured is the plaque honoring A. “Holly” Koerper. It will hang in the entrance area of ​​the Warren County Jail. (Sally Green/The Vicksburg Post)

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace holds the plaque for prison guard A. “Holly” Koerper, who was murdered while on duty at the prison on July 6, 1974. (Sally Green/The Vicksburg Post)

When Warren County Jailer A. “Holly” Koerper arrived for work at 6 a.m. on July 6, 1974, he had no idea it would be his last day on this earth. Within an hour, he was killed by an inmate he knew personally, beginning a search for justice that lasted more than 40 years.

On Saturday, Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace, who was still in high school at the time of Koerper’s death, held a special ceremony to honor his life and dedication to the community and to ensure his sacrifice will never be forgotten.

“It is thanks to people like ‘Holly’ Koerper that the citizens of this nation can be assured that someone stands between them and evil,” Pace said.

On the morning of his death, 71-year-old Koerper and trustee Arthur Lee Stevenson greeted each other as usual. Stevenson began preparing breakfast for the prison. He was serving a six-month sentence for robbery.

At 6:30 a.m., trustee Wilbert Thames was awakened by loud voices. He reportedly heard Koerper say, “‘Arthur Lee. Don’t do that to me. I have the keys in my pocket and I’ll give them to you if you let me get up.'”

Thames walked in the direction of the noise and saw Stevenson kneeling over Koerper with a knife. Stevenson threatened to kill Thames if he didn’t leave, so Thames went back to his cell and listened as Stevenson took the keys from Koerper and went to the women’s section to release his then-girlfriend Geneva Mitchell.

After both inmates escaped from the prison, Thames found the body lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen dining area. Since the phone was in a locked office, he ran outside and flagged down a passing motorist. Although it was too late, an ambulance was called and additional police and sheriff’s officers were summoned.

After a brief search, Stevenson and Mitchell were found in an abandoned house on Farmer Street and taken into custody. Koerper lay dead in the jail, with 27 stab wounds to his body, including nearly severed hands and a slit throat.

It took more than 20 years for Stevenson to finally be convicted of murder. The first trial ended in a mistrial. The second trial found Stevenson guilty and he was sentenced to death. This verdict was overturned on the grounds that Stevenson should have been allowed a psychiatric evaluation and the trial should have been moved out of Warren County due to the publicity of the pretrial. The third trial, in 1976 in Tupelo, also found Stevenson guilty and he was again sentenced to death and scheduled to be executed in the electric chair. However, this verdict was also overturned when it was discovered that one of the jurors was not old enough to serve.

During the fourth trial in 1978, Stevenson pleaded guilty on the condition that the death penalty be overturned and that he would spend the rest of his life in prison without parole. But 19 years later, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that a life sentence without parole was not possible and overturned the conviction.

A fifth trial began in 1997. Although the trial was held in Warren County, the jury was brought from Brookhaven. After three days, Stevenson was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Although this case was also appealed, the Supreme Court upheld the verdict.

In February 2010, Stevenson was released on parole, but within 14 months he was arrested again and sent back to prison, where he remains to this day.

Family members, including Koerper’s granddaughter Ann Griffin, a great-niece, a great-nephew, great- and great-great-grandchildren and a great-great-nephew, attended Saturday’s ceremony to remember and honor their late family member, who was remembered as a family man who was dedicated to public service.

The memorial plaque for Koerper will be placed in the prison foyer.

“He made the ultimate sacrifice,” Pace said. “And I think it’s our duty to remember him.”