Dennis Buford Hemby was 19 when he was beaten and drowned near Covington, Louisiana, on May 23, 1978. The killing followed the theft of marijuana that belonged to Hemby; two men, Robert Lee Willie and his cousin Perry Wayne Taylor, were identified as the attackers.

Both men were arrested. Robert Lee Willie later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Hemby’s death and received a life sentence; Willie was already serving multiple life terms for other violent crimes. Perry Wayne Taylor pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 21 years in prison.

The case links Hemby’s death directly to the theft and an ensuing violent confrontation. Any readers who knew Hemby or have information about his last days or the events around May 23, 1978, are asked to come forward.