Facebook/Dakota Theriot Dakota Theriot pictured on his Facebook page.
Dakota Theriot, 21, is in custody in Virginia after five people were shot dead across two parishes in Louisiana on January 26. Theriot was arrested on the morning of January 27. The incidents occurred in the Livingston and Ascension parishes of the state. Ascension is 25 miles southwest of Baton Rouge, while Livingston is 35 miles east of the state capital. The killings all took place before 10 a.m., police said.
Speaking to the media, Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre said, “This is probably one of the worst domestic violence incidents I’ve seen in quite: for a young man to walk into a bedroom and kill his mother and his father and then kill friends in Livingston that he had a connection with.”
HOMICIDE SUSPECT IN CUSTODY
Today deputies with our office took Dakota Theriot wanted for homicide in LA into custody. He arrived at a family home pointing a firearm out of the window. Deputies challenged him and he surrendered w/o incident and is at NNRJ w/o bond
At the time of writing, Theriot has been arrested. Theriot was apprehended by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. In a statement, the sheriff’s office said that Theriot will be brought back to Louisiana to answer to his charges. The Baton Rouge Advocate reports that authorities believe that Theriot drove for 16 hours to get from Louisiana to Warsaw, Virginia. Sheriff’s deputies caught up with Theriot in the driveway of his grandmother’s house. He was taken into custody without incident and, according to the Advocate, the suspect made “several statements” about the killings in Louisiana.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. A Twitter Account Has Been Set Up in an Attempt to Portray Theriot as Being Anti-Donald Trump
Twitter/TheriotDakotaA screenshot from the homepage of the Dakota Theriot Twitter page.
As the search for Theriot went on, a Twitter page appeared that attempts to portray Theriot’s shooting as being related to the fact that his parents voted for Donald Trump. In two tweets, Theriot wrote, “I’ll never give myself up. Not until the Orange Man steps down from the oval office.” The Twitter account reads in the bio, “Pisses me off that Drumph is my President. people are gonna pay for this.” The first tweet on the page reads, “F*** Trump.” The second message says, “My parents should’ve never voted for Trump.”
2. Theriot Was Summer Ernest’s Boyfriend & Had Recently Moved in With Her Family
Facebook/Summer ErnestVictim Summer Ernest pictured on her Facebook page.
In Livingston, three people were shot dead. They have been named as Billy Ernest, 43, Tanner Ernest, 17, and Summer Ernest, 20. The trio was found inside of their mobile home in the town of Walker. Police have not released a motive for the shootings and have not revealed Theriot’s connection to the Ernest family. Theriot was Facebook friends with Summer Ernest, Heavy.com can reveal. On his Facebook page, Tanner Ernest says that he was part of the class of 2020 at Denham Springs High School.
The Baton Rouge Advocate has referred to Theriot as Summer Ernest’s boyfriend. A neighbor of her family, Charlenne Bordelon, told the Advocate that two of Summer’s youngest siblings ran to the neighbor’s home to sound the alarm. On his Facebook page, Theriot refers to himself as single.
Bordelon told the Advocate that Theirot had recently moved in with the Ernest family. Bordelon said she did not know him. Billy Ernest’s sister, Crystal DeYoung, told the Associated Press that her niece had just started dating Theriot and that her family were not keen on him. DeYoung said that the family met him at a birthday party and that she didn’t know how the pair had met.
3. Theriot’s Parents Had Recently Asked Him to Move Out
In nearby Ascension, two people were shot dead. They are Keith and Elizabeth Theriot who were both 50 years old. WBRZ reports that Elizabeth was Theriot’s step mother. Authorities said that the couple was found dead in the bedroom of their mobile home in the town of Gonzalez. When emergency responders got to the couple, they were able to identify Dakota as the suspect with their final breath.
Ascension Sheriff Bobby Webre said that Theriot’s parents had recently asked him to move out of their family home. The Theriot’s home is located around 25 miles south of the Ernest’s home. Sheriff Webre said that there had been “some disagreements” between Theriot and his parents. A neighbor of the Theriot family told the Advocate, “There’s been a lot of yelling matches,” recently coming from their home at night.
4. Authorities Initally Thought Theriot May Be Headed to Mississippi
Authorities have said that he is considered armed-and-dangerous and is likely driving a 2004 silver Dodge pickup, which he is alleged to have stolen from the Ernest family. The car’s license plate is C583809. WAFB reports that Theriot is facing charges of first-degree murder, illegal use of weapons and home invasion.
Facebook/Dakota Theriot
Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard told the media that investigators do not think that Theriot is still in the Livingston Parish-area. CBS Baton Rouge reports that Theriot may be headed to Mississippi. Authorities do not believe there are other targets in the shooting.
According to his Facebook page, Theriot is from New Orleans and currently lives in Gonzalez.
5. Theriot Refers to Himself as an ‘Outgoing Person’ Who Is ‘Always Ready to Have Some Fun’
Instagram/Dakota TheriotTheriot pictured on his Instagram page.
On his Instagram page, Theriot refers to himself as a “young, outgoing person, always ready to have some fun.” Theriot has uploaded two images to that page. The above photo was uploaded on February 12, 2017. The suspect wrote in the caption, “What’s Your Life Like?” It shows Theriot smoking something.
St. Charles Parish Sheriff\’s Office
In April 2017, Theriot was arrested after he was pulled over in a traffic stop. An arresting officer said that when Theriot was asked to exit the vehicle, he fled, leading to a brief chase. The officer said that Theriot threw marijuana out of the car as he fled. When Theriot was eventually pulled over, he was found in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
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