The Investigative Unit
10/11/2024
Four capital-area deputies fired within a week; sheriff gives insight
Posted 6:08 PM 10/11/2024 by Bess Casserleigh
BATON ROUGE - Within the span of a week, four deputies across the capital region were arrested and fired for an array of crimes.
(More)...
10/8/2024
Prosecutors could seek death penalty with upgraded first-degree murder charge against TikTok star
Posted 6:14 PM 10/8/2024 by Bess Casserleigh
BATON ROUGE — A TikTok star accused of murdering a Baton Rouge therapist had his charges upgraded to first-degree murder, prosecutors said.
Terryon Thomas, 20, is accused of murdering (More)
9/30/2024
Baton Rouge man's body found discarded alongside Tangipahoa Parish highway
Posted 12:51 PM 10/3/2024 by WBRZ Staff
FLUKER - The body of a Baton Rouge therapist was found wrapped in a tarp and discarded along a Tangipahoa Parish highway on Sunday.
The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office said 69-year-old William Nicholas Abraham's body was found on the side of U.S. 51 around 8:30 a.m. Sunday. (More)...
10/1/2024
Timeline: Warrant issued for TikTok creator 'Mr. Prada' in connection to death of Baton Rouge therapist
Posted 12:39 PM 10/3/2024 by Alexis Marigny
BATON ROUGE – Over the past few days, the death of a Baton Rouge area therapist has been linked to a TikTok creator known as "Mr. Prada."
Alerts started coming in on (More)
10/3/2024
TikTok star 'Mr. Prada' arrested in murder of Baton Rouge therapist
Posted 10:35 PM 10/3/2024 by Kelly P. Kissel & Logan Cullop
BATON ROUGE — Sheriff’s deputies accused a TikTok star of murdering a Baton Rouge therapist, saying surveillance video and DNA linked the counselor to the influencer’s blood-spattered apartment.
(More)...
10/2/2024
TikTok creator identified as person of interest in death of Baton Rouge therapist arrested in Texas
Posted 7:52 PM 10/2/2024 by WBRZ Staff
DALLAS — The popular TikTok creator who Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's deputies identified as a person of interest in the death of a Baton Rouge therapist (More)
9/30/2024
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT: A timeline of events at Elayn Hunt since WBRZ's initial report
Posted 7:20 PM 9/30/2024 by Bess Casserleigh
ST. GABRIEL - Since the WBRZ Investigative Unit began reporting on the problems at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in August, at least five people have left their positions - including the Department of Corrections Secretary Jimmy Leblanc and Hunt's Warden Donny Bordelon.
Our first (More)
9/27/2024
Mother says inmate at center of excessive force investigation was beaten while handcuffed
Posted 10:09 PM 9/29/2024 by Bess Casserleigh
ST. GABRIEL - The mother of an inmate at Elayn Hunt told the WBRZ Investigative Unit that her son was severely beaten by prison guards to the point of needing to be carried to their visitation.
On Thursday, the Department of Corrections admitted there was an (More)
9/25/2024
EBR DA's office spending thousands not in budget on witness protection
Posted 6:54 PM 9/25/2024 by Bess Casserleigh
BATON ROUGE--For years, the East Baton Rouge District Attorney's Office has had to pay out-of-pocket to keep witnesses or victims of crimes safe in order to get them to testify.
DA Hillar Moore is concerned, without adequate funding to protect witnesses, fewer people will come forward.
(More)...9/23/2024
Attorney weighs in on if recently terminated BRPD officers could get their jobs back
Posted 6:50 PM 9/23/2024 by Bess Casserleigh
BATON ROUGE - Following the termination of three Baton Rouge Police Officers, there are questions about BRPD Chief TJ Morse's timing.
In his letter detailing the (More)
9/19/2024
Neighbors shocked by armed robbery of nearby business
Posted 7:05 PM 9/19/2024 by Bess Casserleigh
BATON ROUGE - As the sun rose Thursday morning, the owner of the Coffee Bean Cafe on Coursey Boulevard arrived to open shop.
Instead, someone opened fire and shot him in the shoulder.
"At 6:30 in the morning? Waking up to get a cup of coffee? For that kind of violence to happen to a (More)
9/16/2024
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT: Woman struggles to get clarity in relative's in-custody death at Elayn Hunt
Posted 6:21 PM 9/16/2024 by Bess Casserleigh
ST. GABRIEL - They may not be blood-related, but Dana Hebert considers herself a sister to Douglas Barnes.
"I'd known him since young childhood and he didn't really have a lot of support growing up," Hebert said.
Barnes was convicted of second-degree murder for his part in a deadly (More)