4 chilling details about Henry Lamar Jeffcoat's murder

Publish date: 2024-04-24

Henry Lamar Jeffcoat's murder case was one of the rare shocking incidents that left a mark long after it was resolved. Dating back to 1993, this case involved a brutal crime, an elaborate crime ring, and law officers' involvement. This was also during a time when incidents like this one were increasingly common, thanks to the crime ring chiefly operated by some active law officers.

Lamar Jeffcoat was murdered inside his garage after two assailants followed him in and showered bullets on the nightclub manager. It was later discovered that the two assailants were Officer James C. Batsel IV and Riverdale police Officer Mark D. McKenna.

This case will be the subject of the upcoming episode of The Real Murders of Atlanta, titled Deadly Protection. The synopsis for the episode reads:

"After a shootout in a quiet suburb leaves a strip club owner dead, police discover his murder may be part of an elaborate crime ring targeting Atlanta's high-end clubs; the truth behind who runs the syndicate shakes the city to its core."

Jeffcoat's grave (Image via the Southern voice)

The details of this case are as shocking as things get and would fascinate even veteran true crime fanatics.

4 shocking facts about Henry Lamar Jeffcoat's murder

1) This was not the first assault on Henry Lamar Jeffcoat

In a shocking twist, Lamar, a renowned nightclub owner, was attacked more than once before the final assault occurred. Two years before the attack, Lamar was followed home by two men while returning from the nightclub. The two men attacked him and forced him to empty his safes at gunpoint.

The men took away $62,000. His nightclub was also attacked earlier that year. The perpetrators took $82,000.

2) Lamar Jeffcoat was prepared for the assailants when they came for him in 1993

A newspaper clipping (Image via RTB)

After the initial attack, Lamar secured his home and car with security measures, including an emergency alarm to alert cops. He also armed himself with a handgun, which he used during the attack.

Sadly, he was overpowered by the two men in tactical gear who shot him 15 times, with nine bullets hitting the nightclub owner.

3) The injury caused by Lamar turned instrumental in cracking the case

During the attack, Lamar wounded Mark D. McKenna in the cheek with a bullet. This resulted in the officer taking time off from the force to heal from the injury. Mark D. McKenna's time off from the force turned instrumental in deciphering the case, as Officer James C. Batsel IV also reported that his handgun was missing. This was the same handgun used to kill Lamar.

4) The murder of Lamar Jeffcoat resulted in the eventual discovery of a full-fledged racket

Bastel IV (Image via the Southern voice)

Lamar Jeffcoat's murder was not the only big incident in recent years in Atlanta. The case was an essential cog in uncovering the entire set of crimes, which ultimately implicated many police officers in the city.

In the trials that followed, Batsel IV was given life without parole. He also avoided the death sentence by handing over many other accomplices, including Moclaire, Morrill, Troy Endres, Kirkland, and Grantham, many of who were also police officers.

The upcoming episode of The Real Murders of Atlanta will cover this in detail when it airs on Oxygen at 9 PM EST.

More from Sportskeeda

" modalPopup.closeOnEsc = false; modalPopup.setHeader("Why did you not like this content?"); modalPopup.setContentText(modalText); modalPopup.addCancelOkButton("Submit", resetRatingAndFeedbackForm, sendRating); modalPopup.removeCloseModalIcon(); modalPopup.disableDismissPopup(); modalPopup.open(); } else { sendRating(index); } } function sendRating() { var requestPayload = { "post_id": 1624933, "rating_value": ratingValue } if (ratingValue > 3) { requestPayload.rating_feedback_type = null; requestPayload.rating_feedback = null; } else { if (!$('input[name="drone"]:checked') || !$('input[name="drone"]:checked').value) { showErrorMessage('option'); return; } if (!$(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea") || !$(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea").value) { showErrorMessage('note'); return; } var selectedOption = $('input[name="drone"]:checked').value; var feedbackNote = $(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea").value; requestPayload.rating_feedback_type = selectedOption; requestPayload.rating_feedback = feedbackNote; } pureJSAjaxPost(addratingAPI, requestPayload, onsaveRatingSuccess, onsaveRatingFail, function() {}, true); } function resetRatingAndFeedbackForm() { var activeStars = Array.from($all('.rating span.rating-star.active')); for (var i=0; i < activeStars.length; i++) { activeStars[i].classList.remove("active"); } if ($('input[name="drone"]:checked')) { $('input[name="drone"]:checked').checked = false; } var userNote = document.querySelector(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea"); userNote.value = ''; modalPopup.close(); } function onsaveRatingSuccess() { modalPopup.close(); savePostIdInUserRatedPostsCookie(); $("#post-rating-layout").classList.add("hidden"); $("#post-rating-message").classList.remove("hidden"); window.setInterval(function showMessage() { $("#post-rating-widget").classList.add("hidden"); }, 3000); } function onsaveRatingFail() { console.error('Saving post rating failed!'); modalPopup.close(); } function savePostIdInUserRatedPostsCookie() { userRatedPostIds.push(1624933); var expiryTime = new Date(); expiryTime.setMonth(expiryTime.getMonth() + 12); // Expiry after 1 year setCookie("user_rated_post_ids", JSON.stringify(userRatedPostIds), expiryTime); } function isPostRatedByUser() { var userRatedPostIds = getCookie('user_rated_post_ids'); if (userRatedPostIds) { try { userRatedPostIds = JSON.parse(userRatedPostIds); } catch (err) { console.error(err); return false; } } else { return false; } if(userRatedPostIds.indexOf(1624933) >= 0) { return true; } else { return false; } } function getRatingCountByPostId(postId) { return new Promise(function(resolve, reject) { pureJSAjaxGet( getRatingCountBaseURL + postId + '/rating/count', function(data) { try { data = JSON.parse(data); if (data.meta_value) { resolve(data.meta_value); } reject("Failed to fetch rating count for the post:" + postId); } catch (err) { reject("Failed to fetch rating count for the post:" + postId); } }, function(err) { reject("Failed to fetch rating count for the post:" + postId); }, true); }); } function showErrorMessage(messageType) { var messageContainerId = '#' + messageType + '-error'; $(messageContainerId).classList.remove('hidden'); window.setInterval(function () { $(messageContainerId).classList.add("hidden"); }, 5000); } (function() { var callFired = false; function lazyLoadPostRating() { if (callFired) return; callFired = true; if (!isPostRatedByUser()) { getRatingCountByPostId(1624933) .then(function(ratingCount) { if (ratingCount < 10) { $("#post-rating-widget").classList.remove("hidden"); } }) .catch(function(err){ console.error(err); }); } } document.addEventListener("scroll", lazyLoadPostRating, { passive: true, once: true }); document.addEventListener("mousemove", lazyLoadPostRating, { passive: true, once: true }); document.addEventListener("touchmove", lazyLoadPostRating, { passive: true, once: true }); })();