On October 18, 2017, officers from the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office discovered three bodies in two different locations. After what police officers described as a “very intense investigation,” a brother and sister from Alexandria, Louisiana have been charged with several felonies in connection with the alleged murders.
According to police, their investigation began when they received a call about a woman’s body lying in Monroe Street in Alexandria. Police were able to identify a suspect by the end of the day, and he was arrested near the crime scene after attempting to evade police. Police are alleging that he stabbed the woman several times before he threw her from his car. The man’s sister was arrested shortly thereafter, and both have been incarcerated at the Rapides Parish Detention Center.
At about 6:30 a.m. on the same day, the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Department received a call about a fire in a ditch on an isolated road. Upon checking the scene, deputies found two additional bodies. Law enforcement officers claim that they discovered a connection between the two crime scenes, but they have not revealed the information that they relied upon to reach this conclusion. Officials also said that they identified six other crime scenes in connection with their investigation of the case. Both suspects have been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of obstruction of justice, one count of possessing a firearm by a felon, and one count of criminal conspiracy.
The Rapides Parish Sheriff said that the case was “very, very serious.” Nevertheless, the two defendants are entitled to be presumed innocent unless and until they have been found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Anyone facing similar charges may benefit from consulting an experienced criminal defense attorney for an evaluation of the case and an estimate of the likelihood of obtaining a favorable plea agreement or an outright acquittal.
Source: Town Talk, “Alexandria siblings charged after 3 bodies found last week,” Melissa Gregory, Oct. 26, 2017