Obituaries:  Cecil Ray Brown, Sabine Parish       B-650
Source:  Sabine Index, Many, La., Jun 5, 1975
Submitted by: Carl Dilbeck
              carlrad@earthlink.net


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Cecil Ray Brown

  A 14 year old boy, Cecil Ray Brown of Pleasant Hill is dead, and
his brother, Jimmy Ray, injured in an incident which happened
near Pleasant Hill on Wednesday, May 21, about 8:30 p.m. Cecil
died on Thursday evening, May 29.

  Lodged in the Sabine Parish Jail is Martin Meshell Jr., 22, of
Zwolle, charged with one count of murder, and one of attempted
murder.

  According to Pleasant Hill City Marshal Willie A. Cobbs, and the
Sabine Parish Sheriff's Department, Jimmy Ray Brown, 22, and his
brother, Robert, got into an argument about Jimmy Ray using the
family pick-up to pull Jimmy Ray's car out of a ditch. Jimmy Ray
got into the pick-up, and started to back it out of the driveway,
when Robert jumped and opened the passenger door, and snatched
the key out of the ignition. Jimmy Ray then got a piece of iron,
which holds the door closed, to hit Robert, and Martin Meshell is
reported to have jumped between them to stop the fight. At that
time, witnesses report that Jimmy Ray chased Meshell, threatening
him with the iron.

  Meshell went to his car, got a .12 gauge single barrel shotgun,
and fired at Jimmy Ray, hitting Cecil and Jimmy Ray directly in
the face and neck. Also standing near Jimmy Ray and Cecil were
seven more people, two of them small children. Cecil as
attempting to herd them into the house, away from the trouble
when he got shot.

  Both Cecil and Jimmy Ray were rushed first to Pleasant Hill
General Hospital, and then sent directly to Confederate Memorial
Hospital in Shreveport. Cecil lived eight days, and Jimmy Ray is
now at home, released Tuesday, May 27, after posting $15,000 bond
for two charges of attempted murder, but on the death of Cecil,
one charge was changed to murder, and he was picked up on Friday
afternoon.

  The Browns are the sons of Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Brown of Pleasant
Hill, at whose home the shooting took place.

  Meshell's sister is married to another son of Mr. and Mrs.
Brown, Harvey, who lives near Pleasant Hill, but was not at the
shooting scene.

  It was reported that Robert Meshell, and Jimmy Ray had been
drinking, but that Cecil was only a bystander, when he got shot.