Terrance Leonard has been arrested in connection with the Terrytown, Louisiana attack that left two children and a woman dead on Wednesday. Police said in a news conference that an unnamed suspect confessed to the crime. Two other children were hospitalized from the attack on Wednesday. On Thursday, court records showed that Leonard had been booked on Wednesday and charged with three counts of murder. Authorities have not yet named Leonard as a suspect. Read on to learn more about Leonard and what happened.
1. Terrance L. Leonard Was Arrested & Charged with Three Counts of First-Degree Murder
Terrance L. Leonard was arrested on Wednesday and booked in Jefferson Parish Jail, Nola.com reported. He was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, and obstruction of justice, according to jail records. As of the time of publication, police have not released the name of the suspect, but they say that a man confessed to the crime who was arrested on Wednesday. Leonard was the only man booked on Wednesday with charges that matched the crime. He also had an outstanding warrant, The Count reported.
The suspect was arrested around 6:30 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday and confessed to the killings, police officials said.
Lopinto said there were no calls for police service prior to the attack at that particular location.
Leonard’s bond was set at $750,000 for each attempted murder charge and $50,000 for obstruction of justice. Bond was not set for the murder charges.
2. A Family Member Said Leonard Was the Boyfriend of the Woman Who Died. Leonard Has a Long Criminal History and Multiple Arrests Involving Drug Charges & Fleeing Officers.
Leonard, 33, was the boyfriend of Christine Riley, who was found dead at the scene, her father Emmett Rhodes told WWLTV.
According to The Advocate, Leonard’s address is listed as the same home where the bodies were found. He made a court appearance on Thursday morning and was assigned a public defender.
At the time, officials have not speculated about what happened leading up to the horrific deaths.
A light gold Mazda 6 sedan was towed away at the scene on Wednesday, the Advocate reported. It had been parked in the driveway across the street. The car was towed away after investigators spoke with someone at that property. Relatives told NOLA.com that the car belonged to the mother of the boyfriend at the house.
Leonard has a long criminal history, The Advocate reported. His most recent arrest was in February 2017 when he lived on Primwood Drive in Harvey. He was charged with fleeing police and for possession with intent to distribute crack, marijuana, ecstasy, and tramadol. A few months later, he pleaded guilty to resisting an officer and spent 90 days in jail. In March 2016, search warrants were executed on a house in Harvey and his car, and he faced charges of felony crack distribution, The Advocate found in police records. He threw crack rocks on the ground when police approached, officers said. He pleaded guilty to resisting an officer and was sentenced to six months.
In 2013, he pleaded guilty to marijuana possession and battery. He served six months.
In 2009, he was booked with aggravated flight and three misdemeanor traffic charges after driving 100 mph in a neighborhood. He hit a deputy’s police car and was Tased after fleeing the scene. He pleaded guilty and had a two-year prison sentence. In 2003, he pleaded guilty to cocaine possession.
3. A Mom, Her Young Son, & Her Niece Were Killed by ‘Blunt Force Trauma,’ Officials Said.
Officials said that two children and the adult woman died. The preliminary cause of death was from blunt force trauma on the scene, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto said in a press conference on Wednesday. Two children were also at the home and taken to the hospital.
Police have not identified the victims officially, but grandfather Emmett Rhodes told NOla.com that the victims were Christine Riley, 32, (spelled in some media sources as Kristine), her son 10-year-old Ayden Riley (spelled by some media sources as Aiden), and her niece Deryona Encalade, 10 (spelled by some media sources as Dariana.) The two children who died were between the ages of 8 and 10 years.
Two more people were taken to the hospital in critical condition on Wednesday, 4WWL reported. In a press conference, Lopinto said the two taken to the hospital also suffered blunt force trauma. Rhodes said they were his grandchildren: Nashawna and Adrianna Riley, 12 and 14.
“Two of my granddaughters are still fighting for their lives in the hospital and the other two is gone,” he told Nola.com.
Christine’s aunt, Nicole Coleman, told Nola.com that Nashawna had probably been mistaken for an adult because she was the same height as her mom.
The horrific event happened in a home on the 900 block of West Monterey Court, WDSU reported. Officials found them when the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call about a disturbance at the residence on Wednesday morning around 7 a.m.
4. The Victims’ Grandfather Said He Was Planning To Ride Horses with His Grandchildren Later that Day
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The grandfather of the children told New Orleans Advocate that he was heartbroken. He said the children involved were 8, 9, and 10 years old.
Emmett Rhodes, the grandfather, told 4WWL that he had just seen his grandchildren the night before at the Mardis Gras parades. He was going to ride horses with them later that day. “This hurts me,” he said.
5. Friends Said the Children ‘Made the Neighborhood’ & They Were Happy & Loved Playing Outdoors
Still at scene of a triple murder in Terrytown. Father/grandfather of the victims confirms at least 2 children dead. His daughter and another grandchild were taken to hospital
Neighbor and family friend Willie Tyson said her grandchildren would often play with them. The neighborhood is very family-oriented, she told 4WWL. She told The Advocate that the children “made the neighborhood” and would often play basketball in the neighborhood and ride horses at a nearby stable.
Nicole Coleman, Christine Riley’s aunt, told Nola that Christine was a mother of four who sacrificed for her children and was always willing to help anyone. She said that Deryona was a tomboy who liked rough and tumble games. “Whatever I do and the boys do, she did: riding a horse, fishing. She did it,” Rhodes, her grandfather, told Nola.
Aiden loved playing football and baseball and frequently rode his bike through the neighborhood. He often played ball with other neighborhood children, Nola shared. He was never afraid to start a conversation with a stranger, because he loved talking to everyone.