Newton resident Dante Bender was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday after the court accepted his plea of guilty in the death of Meridian police officer Kennis Croom.

Croom was shot and killed June 9, 2022, responding to a domestic disturbance call along with Meridian resident Brittany Jones, who was in a relationship with Bender. The deaths sparked a statewide manhunt that ended with Bender’s capture near Ackerman in North Mississippi June 10, 2022. During a plea hearing in front of Circuit Court Judge Charles Wright, Bender admitted to shooting the two victims while under the influence of alcohol.

Bender pleaded guilty to one count of capital murder and one count of murder in the first degree and was sentenced to life in prison without parole and life in prison, respectively. He will serve his sentences consecutively.

The Rev. Kelvin Croom, father of Kennis Croom, said he wants to thank the community, Meridian Police Department, MPD Chief Deborah Naylor Young, Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney Kassie Coleman and her staff for the support they’ve given him and his family as they’ve gone through the grieving process.

In a victim statement, he said he has to forgive Bender for what he did and pray he will find God for himself.

“As a man of God, I have to forgive the inmate for what he did, and my heart goes out to his family,” Croom said. “But I support the actions of the state of Mississippi.

“‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son,’” he added, quoting John 3:16. “Who am I now, that I can’t let my son go?”

With the plea and sentencing, Coleman said she hopes the victims’ families will find some sort of closure for the losses they have suffered.

“We do hope that this sentence will bring some closure to the family. We know that this has been a very difficult time,” she said. “And as we’re approaching the two-year anniversary, we hope that this sentence, as well as for the community to know that he is no longer a danger, will bring the some closure and some peace.”

Although it did not come to a trial, the district attorney’s case against Bender was strong, Coleman said. Croom was wearing a body camera at the time of the shooting, she said, and the state had video evidence of Bender shooting both Croom and Anderson.

Coleman said she wants to recognize Croom’s service to Meridian and Lauderdale County and the sacrifice he made in helping his community. She said she also wants to thank the families of both Croom and Brittany Anderson for the patience and understanding they have shown as the case proceeded through the system.

Croom’s memory lives on, his father said, with an Officer Kennis Croom Memorial Scholarship fund up and running. Croom was a big advocate for education, he said, and the scholarship will help keep his legacy alive through helping others pursue higher education.

With the trial behind them, the Croom family is grateful to be done with it, the reverend said, and he hopes no parent or sibling ever has to go through what he, his wife, and their three other children have gone through.

“We’re just glad that this has come to an end, and hopefully now we can find peace,” he said.