A Tangipahoa Parish grand jury has charged Danel Callihan and Victoria Cox with first-degree murder in the deaths of Callie Brunett and her three-year-old daughter Erin. Brooke Thorington has more.
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This weekend, several Louisiana sports legends including Drew Brees and Seimone Augustus will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches. Jeff Palermo has more.
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State legislators passed a bill re-establishing a black bear season in Louisiana. Mel Bridges has the details.
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A Tangipahoa Parish grand jury has charged Danel Callihan with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Callie Brunett and her three-year-old daughter Erin. The other suspect, Victoria Cox, faces one count of first-degree murder. With federal charges also anticipated, Tangipahoa Parish District Attorney Scott Perrilloux wants the pair to be tried in Louisiana first.
Both suspects also face one count of aggravated kidnapping of a child and one count of second-degree kidnapping. Cox also faces accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Perrilloux wouldn’t comment on the details of the crime when asked if Erin was killed in Louisiana or Mississippi.
Both suspects could face the death penalty, but Perrilloux says a decision has not been made on whether to pursue capital punishment.
Perrilloux says the case has left the small Tangipahoa Parish community in shock.
Callihan and Cox also face murder and sexual battery charges in Mississippi, where they are currently being held. Funeral services for Callie and Erin were held yesterday in Hammond.
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On Saturday, nine sports figures will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, including former Saints quarterback Drew Brees and LSU legend Seimone Augustus. Hall of Fame Foundation President Ronnie Rantz says Augustus is regarded as the greatest women’s basketball player from Louisiana.
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Rantz says inducting Brees is a no-brainer.
Other inductees include MMA icon Daniel Cormier, prolific high school football and baseball coach Frank Monica, and horse jockey Ray Sibille, whose 4-thousand career wins embody something Rantz says you just don’t see anymore.
Induction celebrations will be held during this weekend at the HoF’s home in Natchitoches.
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Four people have been arrested in connection with the death of 25-year-old Ashley Beauclair of Marksville. Tim Ryan with the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office says in October her body was found in a wooded area north of Marksville and with the assistance of the FACES lab they were able to identify her remains.
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Those three suspects were arrested Tuesday and on Thursday Morgan Lin Heims of Missouri was arrested in the case. Sonny Dauzat is charged with second-degree murder and all four suspects criminal conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges.
Sheriff David Dauzat says several law enforcement agencies have worked diligently to find those responsible for Beauclair’s death. Ryan says the APSO is committed to doing its best…
He declined to give a motive and says the case has been turned over to the District Attorney’s Office. Ryan says while they don’t expect any more arrests in the case…
Listing of arrestees:
25-year-old Sonny Ray Dauzat of Effie – 2nd-degree murder, criminal conspiracy, and obstruction of justice. Bond set at $1.1 million
29-year-old Keion Joseph Roy of Moreauville – criminal conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
24-year-old Sophie Mae Badeaux of Marksville – criminal conspiracy and obstruction of justice
20-year-old Morgan Lin Heims of Branson, Missouri – criminal conspiracy and obstruction of justice
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State legislature passed House Bill 684, which re-establishes a black bear season in Louisiana. LDWF Large Carnivore Program Manager John Hanks says part of what the bill does is make sure money generated from the sale of black bear licenses goes towards a good cause.
The bill also establishes a $20 black bear hunting license, which will be required in addition to a basic hunting license, and a bear harvest permit. Both are required to hunt black bears. The Wildlife and Fisheries Commission will hold a lottery for permits at $50 per application. Finally, Hanks says, the bill establishes what is and isn’t legal.
Black bear season runs from the first Saturday to the third Sunday in December, and you can only hunt black bears in a handful of parishes in northeastern Louisiana. If you’re in those parishes and can’t wait to get your license and permit, Hanks says to stay tuned.
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Black bear hunting had been suspended in Louisiana after the bears became endangered, but the population has since recovered.
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Cut 18 (20) “…getting better.”
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