Investigation into Ann Brewster’s death closed after case reopened 3 months ago

SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KSLA) – A new investigation into the death of civil rights activist Ann Brewster is now complete.

The task force is investigating whether Brewster committed suicide, as originally determined by then-Coroner Dr. Stuart Delee, or if something more sinister happened. For 60 years, rumors have circulated in the community that she was murdered. A KSLA documentary shed new light on Brewster’s death, leading to the reopening of the case. Now, current Coroner Dr. Todd Thoma is expected to announce his findings.

For the past four months, a task force has been meeting to investigate what some in the community called the “suspicious” death of a civil rights activist. In February, KSLA aired a documentary about Brewster’s death.

The medical examiner ruled at the time that she committed suicide. KSLA’s investigative documentary published interviews with people who knew her who said she would never have taken her own life. Dr. Thoma is now expected to share his findings and whether or not he will change the cause of death.

“As a woman during the Jim Crow era, three women had no fear of lynching. They were self-reliant. We have them to thank for that. We have her to thank for that,” said Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor.

The KSLA investigation was the trigger for the reopening of the case. Councilwoman Taylor made the request less than 24 hours after the report aired. Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith granted the request without hesitation.

RELATED VIDEO: Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor calls for reopening of Ann Brewster case

“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. When your network aired this story, I asked myself how we could pull ourselves together again and who I would ask to help and reassure this community that we did our best,” said Chief Smith.

At the task force’s first meeting, the chief played KSLA’s 30-minute documentary, “Nobody Knows Her Sorrow: What Happened to Ann Brewster?”

KSLA had the opportunity to speak with Chief Smith and homicide detective Sergeant Alison Azlin after one of the work sessions. They were limited in what they could say, but shared that they are reviewing information in the case that has never been released before. Sergeant Azlin said there were some surprises.

“The autopsy report is really revealing. Some of the photos I found are interesting and we want to analyze them with a fresh eye,” said Rod Demery, a member of the task force.

RELATED VIDEO: Retired Shreveport detective will help investigate reopened Ann Brewster case

Civil rights activist Craig Lee, one of the interviewees in the KSLA documentary, researched the case and looked at the police report. He says the crime scene was staged.

“Whoever did this didn’t think to take the gun out of her hand, they just put it in her hand,” Lee said.

“As I told you, my mother is a beautician. Women don’t do that to themselves. They would poison themselves,” said historian Dr. Gary Joiner, who was also interviewed as part of the KSLA documentary.

The task force had to go back more than 60 years, to a time when the South was segregated.

“Find out what it was like during that time period and how the people in that community felt and you need to understand how they felt,” Sergeant Azlin said.

Was Brewster killed because she was an influential force in the civil rights movement in Shreveport and the South? Was she killed because she worked closely with civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy? Or did she commit suicide? What happened in her life?

A letter she allegedly wrote shortly before her death is being closely analyzed by the task force.

“An officer in 2024 will have a different opinion than he did in 1964. I think you’ll see there are differences in what he wants to see and what he doesn’t want to see,” Demery said.

“You just start from the beginning and do the first report with the crime scene photos, just like you would do today,” explains Sergeant Azlin.

KSLA has learned that the investigation conducted by the task force is now complete and a press conference to announce the results is expected soon.

“We don’t believe she committed suicide. We believe someone put her in this situation, one of us,” said Verma Lee Henderson, another interviewee in the KSLA documentary.

“What we have right now is the medical examiner’s determination at the time that it was suicide, and as we investigate further, we will find that other scientific evidence emerges to support his statement or leave it at that,” Chief Smith said.

KSLA will be at the press conference, which is expected to take place Thursday morning (June 13) at 10:30 a.m. KSLA will provide the latest information on the Brewster case at that time.

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