Dr. Jacques

[Jeannieb43]

A Professor Jacques, retired professor from La Sierra University, was shot dead by a sniper while sitting in his bedroom watching TV. This happened recently -- perhaps it was in January 2003 -- and was reported in the Los Angeles Times.

I'm wondering if he's related to Oliver Jacques, a retired minister in our church. If anyone has any information....

As of today I've heard nothing in the public press about any leads in the search for finding his killer.

[LynnDel]

I read yesterday that the shooter was apprehended -- but I can't remember where I read it.

LynnDel

[Shirley]

I had to do a bit of searching through some of the posts but I was able to find an answer for you Jeannie.

Mopsie

------------------

Killer Caught

#60008 - Wed Feb 05 2003 09:29 PM Edit Reply Quote

The Riverside Police department held a press conference this afternoon to announce an arrest in the shooting of Brian Jacques. The police are holding Jonathan Ross Luther, 22, of Redlands, in connection with the killing. According to Jeff Kaatz, La Sierra VP for Advancement, who attended the press conference, police announced that Luther had confessed to the killing.

Police also revealed during the conference that a 9mm weapon had been found at Luther's residence. Ballistics tests have not yet been completed on the weapon. Police stated that Luther first went to the Jacques home in early December, where he had a brief conversation with the couple. And he is alleged to have returned to the Jacques residence the evening of January 2, 2003.

[Guest]

Man held in slaying of retired professor

02/06/2003

By LISA O'NEILL HILL

THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

RIVERSIDE - A 22-year-old Redlands man arrested on suspicion of killing a retired La Sierra University professor confessed to the crime and told police he thought the professor and his home were "evil," Riverside police said Wednesday.

Johnathon Ross Luther did not know Brian Jacques, 73, but admitted to investigators that he pointed a semi-automatic gun at him on Jan. 2 and fired through closed blinds, police said. Jacques was sitting in bed watching Tom Brokaw on the news when he was struck once in the chest. His wife was ironing nearby.

"This was a cold-blooded, senseless and brutal murder," Riverside police Capt. Dave Dominguez said.

Luther told investigators he had twice been compelled to go to the Mountain High Road home that Jacques and his wife, Florence, had shared for 32 years. Jan. 2 was the second occasion, police said.

Luther first went to the house on Dec. 6, when he told the couple he was "impressed" to come to their home, but provided no further explanation, Dominguez said. The Jacqueses became concerned about their safety and asked the man to leave, but not before getting his name, police said. The stranger said his name was John Luther, Dominguez said.

The next day, the couple filed a police report about the suspicious person who came to their house.

Police said Wednesday Luther told them he was embarrassed during the Dec. 6 incident because he did not know why he was there.

From that initial encounter, while chasing other leads and pursuing tips, police worked around the clock, Dominguez said.

Redlands connection

Homicide Detective David Smith soon discovered that Luther had relatives living near the Jacques home, drove a dark-colored Honda and was wanted by Redlands police for allegedly assaulting two women with a gun in that city.

The night of the shooting, a neighbor reported seeing a small, dark car driving up the long driveway that leads to the Jacques home. The neighbor then heard gunshots and saw the car go back down the driveway.

Late Tuesday night, Riverside and Redlands police served a search warrant on the single-story, stucco home on Elise Drive that Luther shares with his mother and took him into custody. They impounded a Honda and found a 9 mm handgun inside the home. Luther admitted to police that was the gun he used to shot Jacques, Dominguez said.

A woman who answered the phone at the Elise Drive home said Luther's mother was out of town. Luther, who has prior criminal convictions, is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Detention Center in downtown Riverside. He is expected to be arraigned today or Friday.

Redlands police said Luther also has been charged with the two separate assaults on women, which involved former girlfriends. During one of the assaults, Redlands police Detective Mark Hardy said, Luther hogtied one of the women and assaulted her with a gun.

Victim 'a gentle soul'

Relatives of the slain man, who was described as a gentle soul and world traveler who went on daily walks with his wife, said the arrest provided some solace.

"The consolation is there that he's off the street and will be off the street hopefully," said Kenneth Vine, Jacques' brother-in-law, who has said Jacques was a peacemaker who did not have an enemy in the world.

But, he said, "It doesn't bring my brother-in-law back."

Jacques, who was born in England, had been a missionary in Bangladesh and had been the chair of the communications department at La Sierra University.

Luther's arrest shocked his grandfather, Ross Luther, who lives a block away from the Jacques home. Ross Luther, a retired physician, said he has had little contact with his grandson and had not seen him since he was a child.

But Johnathon Luther showed up at his grandfather's door twice within the last couple of weeks, Ross Luther said.

"His visits were a complete surprise and not very welcome," Ross Luther said from his living room, where he has a view of the Jacques home.

Jeffry Kaatz, vice president for advancement and university relations at La Sierra University, said the arrest was a relief for the campus.

"It's nice to see it come to a conclusion," he said. "He was a well-respected person on the campus."

On Jacques' street, neighbors said news of an arrest restored a sense of security to the tight-knit neighborhood where residents look out for one another.

A week after the slaying, their nerves were frayed again when relatives discovered the Jacques home had been burglarized. Police arrested two men, William Corbin Jr., 31, of Hemet, and John Matthew Burke, 32, of Mira Loma, after matching latent prints found in the home to Corbin, according to police.

Dominguez said they do not believe the men are connected to the shooting.

Sheryl Dixon immediately called a neighbor after being told an arrest had been made.

"Hallelujah," said Dixon, whose house is closest to the Jacques home. "Our prayers have been answered. We can sleep at night."

Next door, Ginger Robles said she had been praying for an arrest.

Robles said she has kept the curtains in her living room and bedroom tightly closed since the slaying, depriving her family of views from her home.

But she said Wednesday that she plans to open the curtains again.

[Jeannieb43]

Thank you, everyone, for the updates.

What a shame! Obviously the killer was mentally ill.

Another example that mental illness is no respecter of persons; it occurs in the best of families. (Evidently the Luther family lived in the La Sierra community also.)

[Guest]

I heard this at Brian Jacques Funeral.

He went to East Pakistan now know as Bangladesh during the 60's. There at our college he was a teacher. During the rainy season the entire countryside was under two feet of water. They lived in a two-story house and the entire bottom floor was covered with two feet of water. He had to wade to class and taught with water up to his knees in water in the classroom. "This is intolerable," thought Brian Jacques and he resolved to fix this. The problem was that the Adventist head quarters always took six months to get an answer from. Brian did not wait that long. As soon as the rainy season was over during the school break he put the students to work. He dug a sixty wide 30-foot deep trench all around the campus. He tore down every building and rebuilt it on top of the dirt from the trench. He raised the entire campus above the flood level of the monsoons. There was no cement to be had so Brian made a big brick oven and baked his bricks made from mud and straw. His first attempt at making a brink oven was a failure. The entire brick oven collapsed into one huge molten rock. Not to be defeated he improved on his design and his second attempt at the brick oven was a success. He made thousands of bricks with the SDA stamped on the back of the brick. We were shown one of those bricks. He built a bridge over the trench with the bricks and rebuilt the school with the bricks. He also somehow acquired a generator and the campus now had electricity, which it never had before. He broke up the molten rock brick oven and made gravel and built sidewalks around the campus so the students did not have to walk on mud during the rainy season. Now during the monsoons the entire campus is an island in a sea of water. It is the highest point for miles around.

The narrator who was a citizen of Bangladesh called Brian Jacques a warrior of God. He truly was. What he accomplished there lives on today and will for decades to come for the glory of God.

[Shirley]

What an awesome story of the sacrifice of a 'soldier' of the cross. He certainly took up his cross for Jesus to spend his life as he did.

So sad that his life had to end as it did. He deserved better but he will get better in the life hereafter.

Mopsie