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3 arrested for looting Baton Rouge doctor's house following his death

8 months 4 days 23 hours ago Thursday, August 24 2023 Aug 24, 2023 August 24, 2023 5:23 AM August 24, 2023 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - Police have arrested two men and a woman who allegedly ransacked a house — stealing guns and computers — after the homeowner lost consciousness and died while using drugs.

The criminal charges stem from an ongoing investigation into the death of 43-year-old James Greer, who was found lifeless inside his own home on Aug. 10. Investigative documents from the Baton Rouge Police Department say Greer, who's listed in state records as an ER doctor, was likely there for days before a family member found him dead in his bedroom. 

Arrest documents allege 21-year-old Elizabeth Rios, 29-year-old Kurtis Heard, and 38-year-old Gainer Fleming met up with Greer just hours before his death on Aug. 8. 

When questioned by police, Rios said she and Fleming — whom she described as her boyfriend — met with Greer and Heard outside a hotel on N Harrell's Ferry Road. Greer, who was sitting in his Land Rover with Heard, asked whether Rios was "free" that night, and everyone got in the car after she got permission from Fleming, investigators wrote in the report. 

Greer then reportedly hopped in the backseat with Rios and Fleming, and Heard drove the car to Greer's home on Carter Avenue, just off Old Hammond Highway. 

Once inside the house, Fleming told Greer to pay him for "Rios' company," and Greer handed over a check for $300, according to the warrant. Rios told police that Fleming warned her "she only had 30 minutes, and not to f***."

Rios and Greer then went into the bedroom, where she claims she snorted fentanyl and Greer snorted another substance she believed to be cocaine. According to the affidavit, Greer then told Rios to get on the bed and take off her shirt. As he was massaging her shoulders, Rios says Greer collapsed on top of her, and she ran out of the room once she realized he was unresponsive. 

After that, Heard allegedly went into the bedroom and did not come out. After a while, Rios and Fleming went into the room looking for Heard and found him rummaging through Greer's closet. Heard then reportedly removed three guns from the closet, handing them to Rios and Fleming before going through the rest of the house — including a child's bedroom — stealing laptops and other valuables. 

After helping Heard load up Greer's car with stolen property taken from inside the home and garage, Rios said Heard drove Greer's Land Rover to another house where they unloaded the stolen goods. After that, she says Heard dropped off both her and Fleming at the hotel where he originally picked them up. 

All three suspects face counts of simple burglary, failure to seek assistance, and multiple theft charges, including theft of a motor vehicle and theft of a firearm. Heard faces an additional charge for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The three were arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Wednesday. 

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