There was hope for closure about three months after the murder of Billy Ray Peeples in 2018. Two suspects were charged with capital murder, and investigators at the time of the arrests said they “had concrete evidence” to bring justice to the case.
That hope, however, was short-lived when those charges were dismissed a few weeks later.
Four years later, no other suspects have been charged in connection with Peeples’ murder. And the brutal beating of “the Peanut Man” remains heavy on the hearts of family and friends who knew him.
The Murder
Peeples was known throughout the community as the Peanut Man, thanks to his local sales of boiled peanuts. But worry began to circulate when no one heard from him for a few days.
Friends and family members reported Peeples missing after they were unable to reach him. A few days later, he was discovered inside a Jerry Clower Boulevard building on June 11, 2018 with several wounds to his head.
Peeples was taken to a Jackson hospital, where he would later die on June 19 from his wounds after being unresponsive for over a week. Yazoo County Coroner Ricky Shivers said Peeples suffered a blow to his head, which resulted in his death.
An autopsy performed at a state laboratory confirmed that he was “definitely beaten.”
The Arrests
Ron Sampson, who was chief at the Yazoo City Police Department at the time, said his investigators followed a number of leads following the discovery and later death of Peeples. Three months after his murder, in September of 2018, two suspects were charged with capital murder.
“With the assistance of the district attorney’s office, we found enough concrete evidence that led to the issuing of these warrants,” Sampson said. “The investigation also continues with other people who possibly aided and embedded in this case.”
Charges Dismissed
There was hope for closure and justice in the Peeples’ murder case. But it did not last long.
A few weeks after the arrests, charges were dismissed with witness refusing to cooperate. The charges were dismissed without prejudice, which means those charges could return to the suspects pending the investigation.
“Unfortunately, people we had cooperating with us just quit for some unknown reason,” Sampson said, in a 2018 interview with The Herald. “But we are not going to let this go by the wayside. We are going to get the victim’s family some resolve.”
“We are developing more evidence and witnesses,” Sampson added. “We are not leaving any stone unturned. We will be moving forward aggressively with our investigation. Everybody thinks it’s over, but it is not.”
However, no other charges or arrests have been made since 2018. Four years later, family and friends continue to wait for justice.
