Cold Case Files: Brutal stabbing death of Mount Ida woman in 1986 saw murderer get the needle in 1994
- Dennis McCaslin
- Oct 5
- 2 min read
On November 22, 1986, Essie Mae Black, a 62-year-old widow and former Montgomery County Clerk was brutally murdered in her home near Mount Ida marking a significant capital case in the county’s history.
Black, the first woman elected to office in Montgomery County, was attacked by Jonas H. Whitmore, a 31-year-old unemployed laborer with a history of petty theft.
Around 5 p.m., Whitmore knocked on her door, offering yard work.
Once inside, he stabbed Black 10 times with a pocket knife, severing her carotid artery and jugular vein, slashing her throat, and carving an “X” into her cheek.
Black pleaded for her life but died on her kitchen floor. Whitmore stole $250 in cash and jewelry before fleeing.
A neighbor discovered Black’s body that evening, noting her uneaten dinner and open door.
Sheriff’s deputies arrested Whitmore the next day, November 23, after he attempted to pawn the stolen jewelry in Hot Springs, 50 miles away.
Blood on his clothing matched Black’s, and he confessed, claiming a “flashback” to childhood abuse caused a blackout.
.Whitmore’s trial began in March 1987 in Montgomery County Circuit Court, presided over by Judge Paul K. Roberts. District Attorney Steve Harper argued the murder was a premeditated robbery, emphasizing its brutality.
The defense cited Whitmore’s trauma and intoxication but provided no expert testimony for an insanity plea. On March 20, after four hours of deliberation, the jury convicted Whitmore of capital felony murder
. In the penalty phase, jurors found two aggravating factors--murder for pecuniary gain and during a felony (burglary==and recommended the death penalty. Judge Roberts sentenced Whitmore on April 3, 1987.
Appeals alleging ineffective counsel and racial bias (Whitmore was Black, Black was white, and the jury was all-white) were denied by the Arkansas Supreme Court in 1988 and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. On May 11, 1994, Governor Jim Guy Tucker signed Whitmore’s execution warrant
. At age 50, Whitmore was executed by lethal injection at the Cummins Unit in Grady, alongside John David Pickens Jr., in a rare double execution.
In his final statement, Whitmore said, “I’m sorry for what I did. I hope you can forgive me.”
Black’s family, including her two children, expressed relief at the execution
The swift resolution of this case, from crime to conviction to execution, drew significant attention in Montgomery County and beyond.
