When Jermaine Ross stopped answering his phone and missed his barber appointments, concern quickly turned into something far more disturbing. On October 3, 2018, Jermaine was found dead inside his home on Elm Street in Cahokia, Illinois. At first, investigators believed his death may have been natural. But forensic findings, an autopsy, and unsettling details inside the home revealed the truth—Jermaine Ross had been murdered.

In this episode of Murder in the Black, we examine the homicide investigation from the inside out: the timeline shaped by decomposition evidence, rumors surrounding a recent insurance payout, shifting witness statements, and the chilling attempt to alter the crime scene after Jermaine’s death. As investigators worked to separate fact from fear in a close-knit community, the case exposed how desperation, access, and money can turn trust into a fatal vulnerability.

This is the story of a man known as “the people’s barber”—and how the people closest to him became central to solving his murder.

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