By The Vicksburg Post

VICKSBURG — The 2015 murder of Sharen Wilson is the inspiration for a murder mystery penned by Vicksburg author Teresa Lynn.

Wilson, 69, was attacked in her home by Rafael McCloud, June 27, 2015, and later killed at the Kuhn Memorial Hospital property June 28, 2015. Her body was found by ghost hunters who were touring the property.

McCloud was arrested for Wilson’s murder and later escaped from the Warren County Jail in March 2016. He was believed to have occasionally hid out at Kuhn as he eluded authorities for eight days before he was shot and killed after breaking into a home.

Lynn’s book, “A Killing in Vicksburg,” uses the story of Wilson’s assault in her home, her abduction and death at the hands of McCloud as the background for her story. Wilson and McCloud are identified as the victim and her assailant.

The story, she said, is tied in with Kuhn, because “Rafael McCloud made the statement the he shot her there because no one would even bother to find out why shots were being fired there. It’s an abandoned building. That’s what made it unique, and the fact that he used that, and who knows how often he used it for other things.”

She said she hopes the book will also serve as a warning to the elderly.

The elderly, she said, “Are so vulnerable to everything. These are the people who are just assaulted for their purses or their wallets; their money, and beaten.”

“The book is about Sharen; what happened to her, how it happened,” Lynn said. “She was elderly. She was easy prey. This man, he liked inflicting pain on people. That was his joy. Her husband was dead; she was easy pickings.”

McCloud, she said, occasionally mowed her lawn and was familiar with Wilson’s activities and her movements.

“I tried to keep an open mind in the book and not express my feelings,” she said. “I go over the history and the basis of the community and show how people felt in this book. Not just the sensation of her actual murder, but about the whole community and how they felt about it.”

Lynn will hold an author party to promote her book Monday at 4:30 p.m. at Lorelei Books. The event will also feature information from McRaven House, a presentation by ghost walking tour director Morgan Gates and  David Childers. Leslie Silver of the Attic Gallery will display a piece of art she created after hearing of Wilson’s death. Lynn said she will donate $1 from each book sold to the Warren County Victims Assistance Fund.