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Thread: Death Penalty Pursued for Antonio Donde Tyson in 2022 LA Murders of Father Otis Young and Ruth Prats

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    Moderator Bobsicles's Avatar
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    Death Penalty Pursued for Antonio Donde Tyson in 2022 LA Murders of Father Otis Young and Ruth Prats







    Lawyer who specializes in capital murder cases defending man accused of killing priest and church worker

    Kacey Buercklin

    A lawyer who specializes in capital murder cases is now defending the man accused of killing a priest and a church worker in Covington.

    Kerry Cuccia, with the Capitol Defense Project of Louisiana, has been assigned the case of Antonio Tyson.

    Tyson is being accused of killing Father Otis Young and Ruth Prats on Nov. 29. He is facing first-degree murder charges.

    The district attorney has not yet made a decision on whether or not he will seek the death penalty for Tyson.

    https://www.wdsu.com/amp/article/law...orker/42301333
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    Suspect in killing of retired Covington priest, church worker indicted, north shore DA says

    BY SARA PAGONES | Staff writer

    A 49-year-old Covington man who was arrested last year and accused of killing a popular retired priest and church worker, was charged by a St. Tammany grand jury Wednesday with two counts of first-degree murder, according to 22nd Judicial District Attorney Warren Montgomery's office.

    Antonio Tyson, who had been recently released from Rayburn Correctional Facility when the Rev. Otis Young, who had been a priest at St. Peter Catholic Church, and Ruth Prats were killed, was arrested hours after their their badly burned bodies were discovered behind a downtown Covington business on Nov. 28.

    In addition to first-degree murder, the grand jury also charged Tyson with one count of obstruction of justice by tampering with evidence, Montgomery said in a news release.

    When asked if his office would seek the death penalty in the case, Montgomery replied, "He (Tyson) is on the death penalty track."

    Covington Police had found Tyson and a woman inside Prats' Honda CRV at a nearby drugstore in the early-morning hours of Nov. 28. That vehicle had been involved in a hit-and-run crash the previous evening, police said. In the course of investigating the hit-and-run, police learned that both Prats and Young, who had been together the previous day, were missing.

    A little over two hours after the vehicle was found, police received a report that suspected human remains had been found behind a business on Gibson Street. The bodies were eventually identified as those of Young, 71, and Prats, 73.

    Tyson was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree kidnapping, one count of possession of stolen things, two counts of obstruction of justice and one count of resisting an officer.

    St. Tammany Parish Coroner Charles Preston said the Young's cause of death was blunt and sharp force trauma and Prats' was blunt force trauma.

    Covington Police said that video surveillance from St. Peter Catholic School, near Prats' home, showed Tyson riding a bicycle on Nov. 27 and stopping to speak to Young and Prats, who were outside her home. Video showed him returning on foot later and knocking on Prats' door with what appeared to be a knife behind his back, police said.

    Later video shows the CRV driving on East Boston Street, and video from nearby businesses shows Tyson filling gasoline cans at a service station, police said.

    Police have said that Tyson did not appear to know either victim and have called the homicides random. They have not said where the two were killed but said evidence at Prats' home indicates they were still alive when the CRV left the house and that they are believed to have been inside the vehicle.

    Tyson was being held without bond at St. Tammany Parish Jail when the Sheriff's Office said he attempted to escape in early December. He was transferred to the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

    Tyson served 30 years of a 40-year sentence for forcible rape, armed robbery and burglary. He is being represented by attorneys with the Capital Defense Project of Southeastern Louisiana, which only handle death penalty cases.

    https://www.nola.com/news/northshore...b1b4f.amp.html
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

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    St. Tammany district attorney says case against man accused of killing priest on track for death penalty

    Aubry Killion

    COVINGTON, La. —
    The St. Tammany district attorney has confirmed to WDSU Investigates that a high-profile Covington murder case is on a death penalty track.

    Antonio Tyson was indicted by a St. Tammany grand jury earlier this year.

    Tyson is accused of killing the Father Otis Young and his associate, Ruth Prats, and burning their bodies.

    Death penalty cases in Louisiana are at the discretion of the district attorney and up to a jury to decide if someone lives or dies.

    The death penalty has been at the center of the last five legislative sessions, where bills to abolish it ultimately failed.

    Tyson is facing two counts of first-degree murder and one count of obstruction of justice for the double homicide that happened in Covington on Nov. 27, 2022.

    Tyson entered a not-guilty plea on all counts.

    Tyson was in court Thursday in an orange jumpsuit, surrounded by six deputies.

    New court documents shed light on evidence linked to the horrific murders.

    The evidence includes thousands of images from law enforcement surrounding the case.

    Court records show there are images from the scene, Prats' house, and a dumpster.

    Surveillance video was entered into evidence from multiple Covington businesses and video from St. Peter's School.

    Court records also show that there are more than 500 video clips from Dependable Glass where Young and Prats' bodies were found burnt beyond recognition.

    Tyson's next court date is July 13.

    Timeline of murders:
    On Nov. 27, Covington police responded to a report of a hit and run near St. Tammany Bike Trace and Bogue Falaya Towers Condominiums.

    Officers were given Ruth Prats' license plate from a witness on the scene. When officers tried to contact Prats, they couldn't find her. Police then contacted her family, who said they also couldn't get in touch with her.

    Covington police reviewed footage of the hit-and-run that showed Prats' car involved. Her phone was pinged inside a dumpster nearby, and a criminal investigation was then launched.

    Prats was also entered as a missing person and reported her car as stolen.

    On Monday, officers found Prats' car in a Walgreens parking lot. According to police, Tyson and another white female, who was not Prats, were taken into custody.

    After police found Prats' car, they learned that Young was with Prats on Sunday. When officers went to Young's apartment, they found he was not there.

    Two bodies were then found in the 600 block of East Gibson Street Monday around 5:49 a.m.

    The bodies were found burned behind the building.

    Video obtained by police showed Tyson riding a bicycle past Prats' home around 3:53 p.m. on Sunday.

    According to Sgt. Edwin Masters, Tyson went to several homes in the area before knocking on Prats' house.

    Tyson is seen on video speaking to both Prats and Young for a few minutes.

    Around 3:55 p.m., police say Tyson leaves and parks his bike on the side of a grocery store.

    At 4 p.m., police say Tyson was seen walking up to Prats' front door with what appeared to be a knife behind his back in a crouched position.

    Police say Tyson was then seen entering Prats' home.

    Prats' car is seen around 5:14 p.m. backing out of the driveway of the home and out of the camera's view.

    Prats' car is then seen driving away from the home.

    Covington police say Tyson was seen at multiple businesses on Nov. 27 and Nov. 28 in Prats' car. He was also found on security footage at a gas station filling up a container of fuel while in Prats' car, according to police.

    Prats' car was then seen on security camera footage entering the crime scene on Gibson Street.

    Police say Tyson has no association with St. Peters Church or the school.

    About the suspect:
    Tyson was arrested and faces two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree kidnapping, two counts of obstruction of justice, one count of illegal possession of stolen things, and one count of resisting an officer by giving a false name.

    Tyson has a violent criminal history.

    Tyson was recently released from Rayburn Correctional Facility prison after pleading guilty in 1993 to one count of forcible rape, one count of armed robbery, and one count of burglary.

    He was sentenced to 40 years and served 31 years, according to Covington police.

    Police reports from the St. Tammany District Attorney's office shed light on the violent rape that Tyson was convicted of. Police said he was 18 at the time of the crime.

    According to the court documents, the victim, a 54-year-old, said she woke up to two men in her bedroom. She said she was pistol-whipped, tied up, and a pillowcase was placed over her head, and she was then raped by both men.

    Documents say she was told she would be killed if she opened her mouth.

    According to the documents, the suspects stole her car, and the victim was able to break free after they left.

    She then ran to a neighbor's home and called police before being taken to a hospital.

    Tyson was tracked down in the victim's car and arrested, according to the documents.

    The documents also said that a black belt used to tie up the victim was linked to Tyson through a fingerprint.

    Both Tyson and the other man involved were convicted of the rape.

    https://www.wdsu.com/amp/article/cov...nalty/44068545
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

  4. #4
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    St. Tammany interim DA wants accused murderer to face death penalty

    By Aubry Killion
    WDSU News

    COVINGTON, La. — A major update to a horrific murder case in St. Tammany Parish.

    Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for a man accused of murdering a beloved priest and parishioner.

    "We will pursue the case as a death penalty case,” Interim District Attorney Collin Sims said.

    Sims made it clear Thursday that he wants Antonio Tyson to face the death penalty.

    Tyson is accused of murdering Rev. Otis Young and Ruth Prats last November in Covington.

    Tyson has plead not guilty.

    Investigators say Tyson went to Prats' home with a knife behind his back, their bodies were later found burnt beyond recognition.

    "The specific circumstances and facts of the case warrant pursuing the death penalty,” Sims said. "The history of the defendant and the very short gap in time from when he was released from jail to when the offense alleged was committed and the type of offenses committed in his history, we felt that it was more than appropriate to pursue the death penalty in this case."

    Months before the murders, Tyson was released from prison after he served about three decades for rape.

    WDSU uncovered Tyson failed a drug test, violating his parole days before the murders. Tyson was not arrested because the Department of Corrections says it was a low=level violation.

    "If you commit a nonviolent offense and you have minor violations, I can understand giving some flexibility,” Sims said. “But if you are being supervised committing one of the most heinous offenses, you should have little flexibility on any violations."

    The high-profile case comes as the district attorney’s office is recovering from a loss.

    Sims took over after District Attorney Warren Montgomery died of cancer this month.

    "It was really tough, it is still tough,” Sims said. “The biggest thing Warren did was restore public trust. We are going to be laser-focused on violent crime, laser-focused on fentanyl overdoses laser-focused on sex offenders. I feel a certain way about making sure this office stays honest, professionally run and impactful by prosecutors who have done this job and know this business. That’s what I will fight for.”

    https://www.wdsu.com/article/louisia...nalty/46002180
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