MS man downs 5 Hand Grenades, punches, and kills local talking to his wife

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Bennett, 37, later told police he had downed five hand grenades that night, when he and his wife ended up at the Famous Door music club at 339 Bourbon St. There, they encountered Eckels.

Eckels, 58, loved music and meeting new people, a member of his family said.

But his interaction with Bennett's wife did not go over well. Bennett later said, according to a police report, that Eckel "had been getting in his wife's face saying over and over that he is local."

On Eckel's way out of the club, around 1:15 a.m., he stopped at the front doorway to retrieve his umbrella from the bouncer. Suddenly, witnesses told police, Bennett approached and punched Eckel in the jaw once. He had "lost his temper," police wrote in a report.

Eckel was knocked unconscious and collapsed on the sidewalk outside the club. Eckels' jaw was broken and he lost at least one tooth. He remained unconscious for several minutes. Paramedics arrived and transported him to Touro Hospital, where he was treated and soon released home.

Several witnesses flagged down State Police Trooper Sam Latimer, who happened to be patrolling nearby on Bourbon Street. The witnesses told Latimer what happened, and pointed out Bennett, who was running down Bourbon Street, eastbound toward Esplanade Avenue, Latimer wrote in police report.

When Bennett realized the police officer was pursuing him, he stopped and allowed the officer to arrest him, according to the report. He was booked into Orleans Parish Prison on counts of second-degree battery and disturbing the peace. He posted a $15,000 bond and soon returned to his home in Ocean Springs, Miss.

But three days later, Eckels' landlord discovered his body at the rental apartment he had just moved into in the 2600 block of Baronne Street, according to police and Eckels' brother.

The death remained unclassified for three months.

Dr. Jeffrey Rouse, the coroner of Orleans Parish, ruled that Eckels died of pneumonia. But it was not a natural death, Rouse said.

An autopsy revealed Eckels had suffered multiple rib fractures and a jaw fracture in the assault, which Rouse said caused his pneumonia. His jaw had been wired shut after surgery, and he had difficulty maintaining oxygen levels, Rouse said. The broken jaw put Eckels at risk for inhaling liquid such as saliva into his lungs, which can contribute to a lung infection, or pneumonia. Broken ribs also can contribute to lung infections, Rouse said.

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