Arrest in columnist slaying
OXFORD WEEKLY PLANET
Thursday, January 9, 2025
Arrest in slaying of columnist Zoe Chase
Fellow writer stands accused
Yesterday evening, the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department arrested Peggy Madeline LeClaire for the December 21 murder of Oxford writer Zoe Chase. LeClaire was taken into custody without incident at her residence and was transported to the Yoknapatawpha County Detention Center, where she is currently being held.
LeClaire is accused in the shooting death of The Oxford Weekly Planet columnist Zoe Chase. Chase was found dead on the side of County Road 280 by a teenager who was delivering groceries to a nearby church member.
Early in the investigation, some considered the teen a suspect in the apparent carjacking murder, but detectives quickly dismissed him as a suspect and discarded the carjacking theory.
"The scene had been staged to look like a carjacking, but whoever did it didn't know much about how carjackings really look. There were too many things that just didn't add up," said Yoknapatawpha Sheriff's Public Information Officer Elizabeth Jones. "We knew almost right from the very start that this murder was personal."
Speaking about the circumstances leading up to LeClaire's arrest, Jones said, "The detectives conducted a search of the suspect's residence and recovered several pieces of evidence that implicate her in the crime."
Jones declined to comment on the specifics of the evidence against LeClaire or her possible motive, but sources close to the investigation say LeClaire is claiming religious justification for her actions.
When asked if LeClaire had expressed an intention to use an insanity defense, District Attorney Jillian Ross said, "The case against Peggy LeClaire is strong. She may believe that a diminished capacity or mental defect defense strategy is the only way she can escape punishment for her crime, but she is mistaken. We have no reason to believe that she is mentally incompetent to stand trial or that she was insane at the time of the shooting."
In the days since Chase was slain, many Oxonians have speculated about the motive behind her killing. Some think Chase's killing could've been related to the upcoming publication of her first novel, while others believe it was Chase's romantic involvements that led to her death.
Both the victim and the alleged killer were members of the Oxford Writers Circle, and their fellow members say the arrest of Peggy LeClaire and her apparent assertions of religious justification have done little to clarify the question of motive in their minds.
To date, LeClaire has refused legal representation, opting instead for religious counsel. Father Patrick Monahan, pastor of St. John's Catholic Church where LeClaire is a member, declined to comment on whether he had given LeClaire any religious advice regarding the allegations against her.
"This is a tragedy from all angles," Monahan told reporters. "The premature and violent death of a woman as young as Ms. Chase and the fact that one of her friends now stands accused of the murder, both are terribly tragic. I will keep Peggy LeClaire and Zoe Chase, as well as their families and friends, in my prayers throughout this ordeal."
Peggy Madeline LeClaire will be arraigned on murder charges later this week. The court is expected to assign an attorney to represent LeClaire at that time if she has not retained legal counsel before the hearing.
