Sandy MaloneBaton Rouge, LA – A Baton Rouge man stabbed a woman to death while livestreaming the attack on Facebook Live on Monday night.
The body of 34-year-old Janice David was found just before 10 p.m. on April 18 in a parking lot near Sherwood Tower in Baton Rouge, WBRZ reported.
Police sources told WBRZ that David’s body was inside a car, tied to the steering wheel with jumper cables.
Authorities said that the brutal murder was livestreamed to Facebook for about 15 minutes.
Sources also said that it appeared somebody had tried set fire to the vehicle, WBRZ reported.
Baton Rouge police announced Tuesday morning that 35-year-old Earl Lee Johnson had been charged with first-degree murder, WWL reported.
Police said Johnson and David had been on a “days-long” drug binge together before the violent incident.
“Apparently they were involved in some drug usage together for a couple of days and the end result — as everyone has seen on Facebook Live — is a very gruesome, very evil act,” Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD) Spokesperson L’Jean McKneely told reporters.
Police said Johnson was arrested at about 5:30 p.m. on Monday after he stole a car and led police on a chase, WBRZ reported.
Authorities now believe he stole the car right after he tried to set David on fire after he stabbed her to death inside the other vehicle.
So Johnson was already in custody when Facebook contacted the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office and the Louisiana State Police about the grisly vides of David’s murder, WBRZ reported.
The tip from Facebook led sheriff’s deputies to David’s body in the parking lot.
Baton Rouge police questioned Johnson about David’s grisly murder and he confessed, WBRZ reported.
Police said that he admitted to choking and beating David before he stabbed her to death live on Facebook.
Holly Matkin
