Boyfriend charged in woman’s death

Thibodaux Police charged the boyfriend of a Thibodaux woman Saturday with second-degree murder for allegedly beating her to death the night before.

Tameka Carter, 23, of 1734 South Barbier St., and her boyfriend, Christopher Johnson, 34, of 617 St. Charles St., both of Thibodaux, were rushed to Thibodaux Regional Medical Center with injuries late Friday. Carter reportedly died shortly after arrival.

Johnson told police he and Carter were attacked by several men attempting to rob him as the two walked along a trail in the area of Thompson and Ridgefield roads, department spokeswoman Sgt. Laura Guise said. When Johnson told the men he had no money, he said they knocked him unconscious.

When Johnson regained consciousness, he saw that Carter, his girlfriend of two years, lying motionless near a ditch, Guise said.

However, Guise said the evidence did not support Johnson’s claim. Police questioned him again, and Guise said Johnson confessed that he and Carter had a domestic altercation, which resulted in both having to receive medical attention.

Johnson is being held at the Lafourche Parish Detention Center in lieu of $1 million bond, Guise said.

If convicted of second-degree murder, Johnson could serve a life sentence in prison.

The investigation into Carter’s death is ongoing, Guise said.

Carter’s murder was the second in Thibodaux last week. On Mardi Gras Day, Eric Smith was fatally shot at Scrubs Car Wash on Gerald Peltier Drive in Thibodaux.

Brandon Harry, 24, of 110 Iris Street in Thibodaux turned himself in to police Friday afternoon in connection with Smith’s murder. Harry was charged as a principle to second-degree murder, Guise said.

When detectives attempted to question Harry about the shooting, he refused to answer and asked for a lawyer, she said.

Harry was transported to the Lafourche Parish Detention Center. His bond was set at $250,000.

Guise said the shooter remains at-large and should be considered armed and dangerous.

While police investigate the shooting, Smith’s family is left trying to cope with the tragic death of one of its own. Ruby Azema of Thibodaux never imagined that Mardi Gras Day would be the last time she would see her son alive.

Smith, 25, was shot twice in the chest after he and a friend, Kenneth Lacy, 24, evaded Harry and an unidentified armed suspect at the car wash.

On the day of the shooting, Smith and Lacy were planning to wash Lacy’s black Monte Carlo when two black males approached them, Guise said. One of the men was carrying a gun, she said.

“When the two men walked up on Lacy and Smith, Lacy jumped back in the car and drove off, while the man proceeded to shoot at the back of the car, hitting Smith,” Guise said.

Lacy drove Smith to Thibodaux Regional Medical Center. Staff notified police that they had a man in the emergency room with a gunshot wound, Guise said.

When officers arrived, they noticed that Lacy’s car had a shattered rear window, she said.

Azema received the news about the incident from her youngest son after she arrived home from the parades.

“My youngest son, Tinsley, called me and said, ‘Momma, my brother’s been shot,'” Azema said.

Her first thought was, ‘Which son?’ Besides Eric and Tinsley, Azema has an older son, Don.

“I walked in the house to check the caller ID and saw that a lot of my family had called me. So the first thing I did was call Thibodaux Regional and asked if they had an Eric Smith in the emergency room,” Azema said.

“At first, the receptionist wouldn’t give me any information until I identified myself as being his mother,” she continued.

A panicky Azema rushed to the hospital to discover that Smith had died shortly after arriving at the hospital.

“I never thought that I would not be able to see my son again,” she said sadly.

Azema describes her son as a fun-loving person who enjoyed cooking, watching sports and listening to music.

“He loved to cook and loved to eat. He hoped to one day make a career out of cooking,” his mother said.

Smith’s life wasn’t always quiet and meek. Shortly after turning 20 years old, he pleaded guilty to a pair of drug-related offenses – possession of cocaine and distribution of cocaine – on separate occasions.

However, the Thibodaux resident was trying to resist a life of crime, according to his mother.

“He changed his life. Every day, he would work, come home and watch television. His criminal background doesn’t give anybody the right to take his life,” Azema said.

Smith, known by his friends and family as “E-40,” stemming back to his days as a running back for East Thibodaux Junior High School, worked at Nicholls State University for eight months prior to his death.

Police ask that anyone with information about the shooting or the identity and whereabouts of the suspected shooter contact the Thibodaux Police Department at (985) 446-5021 or (985) 446-7281.