In October of 1970, a maid at the Travel Inn in Meridian, Mississippi discovered the body of 23-year-old Jack McDonald. He had been murdered by multiple blows to the head with an ax or hatchet-like instrument.
The investigation into the murder of Jack McDonald remains unsolved, but today, many believe he may have been murdered by the same man who killed William Kyle, Rose Burkert, and Roger Atkison.
In part five we will go over everything we know about Jack's case and the similarities between this scene and the two others we have discussed in this series. We will also take a quick detour and discuss a fleeting theory that Jack's murder was linked to an underground Mafia-esque pornography business (spoiler alert: it was not).
Sources:
- Bell, Dick, Salesman's slaying clues sought, October 29, 1970, Birmingham Post Herald
- Whittington, George, Police Seek to Quiz Man About Slaying, October 30, 1970, Clarion Ledger
- Think Two Murders May Be Connected, December 14, 1970, Clarion Ledger
- Claybrook, Clint, Jeffco car parts salesman brutally slain in Meridian, October 28, 1970, The Birmingham News
- Claybrook, Clint, Clues absent in salesman's brutal death, October 28, 1970, The Birmingham News
- Claybrook, Clint, Heavy-set young man sought in 'hatchet' slaying, October 29, 1970, The Birmingham News
- Claybrook, Clint, Police hunt 'natty dresser', October 30, 1970, The Birmingham News
- Claybrook, Clint, Police trying to link Meridian, Florida cases, December 9, 1970, The Birmingham News
- Man slain in Meridian, October 28, 1970, The Delta Democrat Times
- Search underway for killer of salesman, December 8, 1970, Daytona Beach Morning Journal
- Slaying Victim's Car Found in Alabama, December 7, 1970, Fourt Lauderdale News
- Slaying Suspect Search Widened, December 9, 1970, Fourt Lauderdale News
- Excess Fees, December 15, 1970, Fort Lauderdale News
- Jurors Get Testimony on Slaying, December 16, 1970, Fort Lauderdale News
- Accused Slayer of Smut Peddler Held for City By St. Louis Police, February 27, 1971, Fort Lauderdale News
- Man Given Life Term in Murder, October 26, 1971, Fort Lauderdale News
- Toilet Tank Top Used in Slaying, December 9, 1970, Fort Myers News-Press
- Manhunt Under Way for Slayer, December 8, 1970, The Miami Herald
- Police Identify Man Found Dead, December 8, 1970, The Miami Herald
- Egger, Edson, Geiger Report Due Jan 6 Grand Jury Foreman Says, December 19, 1970, The Miami Herald
- Extradition of Suspect to be Asked, March 2, 1971, the Miami Herald
- Patterson, Robert, Underworld Link to Porno Films, Feb 8, 1971, The San Francisco Examiner
If you have any information on any of the cold cases covered, you can submit a tip here: https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/for-crime-victims/iowa-cold-case/cold-case-tip-form
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