47°
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
7 Day Forecast
Follow our weather team on social media

Police: Surveillance video leads to woman's arrest in fiance's murder

6 years 6 months 2 weeks ago Monday, September 11 2017 Sep 11, 2017 September 11, 2017 12:58 PM September 11, 2017 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - Police say surveillance video led to the arrest of a woman after she allegedly shot her fiancé in the back, killing him.

According to the Baton Rouge Police Department, officers responded to an early morning shooting on Aug. 20. Police say 38-year-old Joseph Bunch III was found shot dead in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 2100 block of North Lobdell Boulevard.

A woman at the scene told police that she was walking with her friend, 26-year-old Jimeelah Crockett, when Crockett shot the victim. Police took Crockett into custody and questioned her at the nearby police department.

Officers noted that Crockett had several injuries, including scratches across her body and a busted lip.

Crockett told police that Bunch had locked her in their bathroom, beaten her, and threatened her with a gun during an altercation leading up to the shooting. She says Bunch eventually let her out and left the gun in the bedroom before he went into the den.

Crockett says she then grabbed the gun and her two young children before fleeing the house. She then told officers that Bunch followed her out of the house and attempted to strike her, prompting her to fire one shot at him.

According to police, Crockett claimed to be in fear of her life and fled to a nearby friend's home to call authorities. After the interview, Crockett was released from custody pending further investigation.

Police were able to review surveillance video from the altercation that occurred outside, which contradicted Crockett's account of the shooting. One of the children's accounts also seemed to conflict with Crockett's story.

The video showed Bunch backing away from Crockett with his hands up as she pointed a gun at him. Police say that Crockett then shot Buch after he turned to walk away, killing him.

Police noted that Bunch did not seem to pose a threat to Crockett at the time of the shooting.

According to posts from Crockett's Facebook page, the two had been engaged before the incident.

Crockett was arrested and charged with second-degree murder based on video evidence and the conflicting statements.

More News

Desktop News

Click to open Continuous News in a sidebar that updates in real-time.
Radar
7 Days