In the early hours of a Saturday morning in November 2017, the life of 25-year-old Dezarae Warner was tragically cut short on a street in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Responding to reports of a shooting in the 2400 block of Washington Avenue before 1:20 a.m., police discovered Warner lying in the street, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation swiftly pointed to a domestic altercation as the catalyst for the violence.
Authorities identified Warner's 24-year-old ex-boyfriend, Nicholas London of Baton Rouge, as the suspected shooter. It was believed that a verbal argument between the former couple escalated, culminating in the fatal shooting. In the immediate aftermath, London fled the scene, prompting a search by law enforcement who considered him armed and dangerous.
For several months, London remained at large. However, in early February 2018, a Louisiana State Police task force successfully located and apprehended him in the Gardere area. Following his arrest, Nicholas London was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. He faced multiple serious charges, including second-degree murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and the illegal use of a weapon.
Dezarae Warner was a mother to three young children, who were left in the care of their grandmother. Her mother remembered her as a comedian who brought laughter and happiness to those around her. In the wake of her death, a local non-profit organization that had previously assisted Warner and her family during the holidays stepped in to provide Christmas gifts for her grieving children, a testament to the community's support for the family shattered by this act of violence.
