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Cornelius Holden

Cornelius Holden (1908-1968) was a Judge in the Fifth Circuit Court of Louisiana from 1951 to 1968. Holden was known for his conservative views, and he supported the murderer Hollis Dupree during his 1968 murder clase, claiming that "a white man has the right to defend his home". Holden was murdered due to his organized crime connections in 1968.

Biography[]

Cornelius Holden was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1908, and he was elected to the Fifth Circuit Court of Louisiana as a judge in 1951. Holden was a well-known judge, and the Marcano crime family enlisted his aid in fighting against their underworld enemies; Holden helped in jailing rival mobsters. In 1968, Lou Marcano asked him to work on legalizing gambling so that the Marcanos could open a casino in the city. Lincoln Clay, an enemy of the Marcanos, decided to kill Holden to weaken the Marcanos, as well as to eradicate the old-order judges who supported Hollis Dupree during his murder trial. Clay followed his car to a back alley, where he was meeting with some Marcano mobsters. Clay proceeded to throw a grenade at the car, blowing it up and killing Holden.

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