Jim Leslie (journalist)

James S. "Jim" Leslie
The Shreveport Times photo of Leslie in the Louisiana State University in Shreveport Archive
Born	(1937-10-27)October 27, 1937
Died	July 9, 1976(1976-07-09) (aged 38) Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Cause of death	Unsolved homicide
Resting place	Forest Park East Cemetery in Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Journalist for The Shreveport Times Public relations advertising executive
Spouse	Carolyn S. Leslie
Children	Scott and Mickey Leslie

James S. Leslie (October 27, 1937 – July 9, 1976),^[1] known as Jim Leslie, was a journalist for The Shreveport Times who became a public relations and advertising executive in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States. He is known for having been murdered in Baton Rouge on July 9, 1976, in a case described by the police as a "professional hit." George W. D'Artois, the Public Safety Commissioner in Shreveport, was twice arrested in the case; the first time he was released for lack of evidence. He was arrested again on charges of first-degree murder in April 1977, suspected of contracting for the murder of Leslie, but died in June of that year during heart surgery. No one was tried in the case.

Leslie had been hired by D'Artois in 1974 to manage communications in his re-election campaign; he had been in office since 1962. In the mid-1970s, D'Artois was the subject of an extended investigation by the Times. Leslie had told a friend earlier in 1976 that D'Artois had tried to pay him with city funds for his work on his 1974 campaign, and warned him against testifying before a grand jury. With a full-scale investigation of the commissioner underway, Leslie was called to testify to a grand jury about alleged corruption in D'Artois's department.