Stanley Nelson

Stanley Nelson is an Adjunct Instructor at the Manship School of Mass Communication, Louisiana State University, where he collaborates on the racial and criminal justice reporting programs. As the former longtime editor of the Concordia Sentinel in Ferriday, Louisiana, he brings decades of investigative journalism experience to his teaching.

His investigative work on civil rights-era murders earned him recognition as a Pulitzer Prize finalist for local reporting in 2011. His research into unsolved civil rights cases has been featured in national publications, documentaries, and inspired Greg Iles' 'Natchez Burning' trilogy.

Nelson has authored two books on Louisiana civil rights cold cases: 'Devils Walking: Klan Murders Along the Mississippi River in the 1960s' (LSU Press, 2016) and 'Klan of Devils: The Murder of a Black Louisiana Deputy Sheriff' (LSU Press, 2021).

He has been associated with the Manship School's Cold Case Project since its founding in 2008.