Fallen Meridian Police Officer Kennis CroomThe man accused of killing Meridian Police Officer Kennis Croom and Meridian mother Brittany Jones in June of 2022 has pleaded guilty and will spend the rest of his life in prison Wednesday.
According to the Scotty Ray Report, Dante Bender pleaded guilty to first degree murder and was sentenced to life without parole.
Ray reported that the courtroom was packed with family and police officers. Bender was wearing shackles and a red and white Lauderdale County Jail Jumpsuit.
Croom worked for Meridian Police Department at the time of his death, but had also worked at Brookhaven Police Department and Jackson Police Department, and he was much loved at both departments.
At no time during the trial did Bender, who was a law enforcement officer at the time of the murder, express remorse for his actions in killing Croom or Jones.
Dante Bender will spend the rest of his life in Parchman.
Kennis Croom’s legacy lives on in the people that loved him and the good he did in the world.
