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Feud between exes led to Central shooting that killed 12-year-old girl; more arrests possible

1 year 6 months 3 weeks ago Sunday, May 14 2023 May 14, 2023 May 14, 2023 10:04 PM May 14, 2023 in Crime
Source: WBRZ

CENTRAL - Two people are in jail and others could face charges after 12-year-old Cedrica Lee was shot to death in Central on Saturday.

Neighbors told WBRZ they were shocked when they realized what was happening Saturday night.

“I heard a gunshot and I came outside and the little girl was gone. My little stepson was out there playing. He's 6 or 7, you know. I mean, you hate to hear it,” resident Spencer Simpson said.

Deputies arrested 26-year-old Ester Williams for murder and also booked her boyfriend, 36-year-old Patrick Johnson, for helping her flee after the shooting. 

Arrest documents say 12-year-old Cedrica Lee was in a car with Johnson's ex-girlfriend, who reportedly recruited neighborhood kids, including Lee, to go knock on her ex-boyfriend's door. 

When they showed up at the house, Williams grabbed a gun and fired at the car, fatally striking the girl, according to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office. 

Kenneth Johnson, who's a brother to one of the suspects, witnessed the shooting and says the woman who brought the 12-year-old along should also be held accountable. He claims that woman, who has not been identified by law enforcement, has threatened both Williams and Johnson multiple times and that the couple felt threatened when they were followed home. 

"Why did she send this girl up there to knock on the front door when she knew that she and the other woman just had words? You got a grieving mom, which I'm sorry for her loss, and you got another woman in jail pregnant cause you lay here and want to start foolishness,” Johnson said.

Central Councilwoman D’anne Wells was speaking with witnesses, trying to come up with a way for kids to feel safe in their own neighborhoods this summer. She said cameras and other crime prevention methods could be coming to Central.

“We want to make sure that our kids in our area know that it’s okay to come out and play. I’m going to do what I can on my end and the city’s end to make sure that we can get cameras and we can get some crime prevention methods that are needed in our area so kids can go out and play,” Wells said.

Williams is charged with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder. Her boyfriend, Patrick Johnson, is being charged with one count of accessory after the fact to first-degree murder and three counts of accessory after the fact to attempted first-degree murder.

District Attorney Hillar Moore told WBRZ that his office is considering criminal charges for others who were involved in the encounter. 

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