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Police form task force to solve killings of three homeless people in Baton Rouge

4 years 2 months 3 weeks ago Monday, December 30 2019 Dec 30, 2019 December 30, 2019 11:00 PM December 30, 2019 in News
Source: WBRZ

UPDATE: Police have arrested a suspect in the killings. Click here for the full update. 

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BATON ROUGE- A task force made up of members from local law enforcement agencies was formed in the wake of three homeless people who were mysteriously murdered during a two-week span.

Christina Fowler, 53, and Gregory Corcoran, 40, were both found shot in the head near the intersection of South 16th and North Boulevard on Dec. 13. Two weeks later, Tony Williams, 50, was found shot in the head on the porch of a home blocks away. Investigators believe all three of the homeless victims were asleep at the time of their murders.

Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul said he had been in contact with the feds and the FBI was assisting.

Officials say forming a task force is somewhat unusual for murders. The last time one was set up inside the city limits was in 2017 according to BRPD, when two black men were found shot to death. Their investigation determined Kenneth Gleason was the alleged shooter. He is currently awaiting trial.

Prior to that, police said the last time a murder task force was set up was during the serial killer days. That was in the late '90s and early 2000's as Derrick Todd Lee, Sean Vincent Gillis, and Jeffrey Lee Guillory roamed the streets killing people all around the same time in the Baton Rouge area. 

"It makes me scared," said Roxanne Despanney, a woman that recently became homeless.

The homeless in our community have been advised to walk in groups and try to find somewhere indoors to sleep at night.

With the focus on catching those responsible, leaders at the Baton Rouge Police Department hope their task force will be the answer.

"We got with our surrounding partners, State Police crime lab, State Police, Sheriff Department, Baton Rouge Police, we are all working together," L'Jean McKneely with Baton Rouge Police said.
 

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