On a summer evening in New Orleans, what began as a friendly visit ended in a shocking act of violence that claimed two lives. On June 12, 2015, 38-year-old Cinque Stallworth arrived at his friend's home on Curran Boulevard in the eastern part of the city. Shortly after he stepped inside, an unknown assailant who had followed him into the residence shot him in the back of the head.
The gunman then turned his weapon on the homeowner's fiancée, 40-year-old Kimberly Claire Gerdes, who was asleep in another room, fatally shooting her as well.
The lone survivor of the attack, Gerdes' fiancé, recounted the terrifying moments to investigators. He had just opened the door for Stallworth when the gunman pushed his way in and immediately opened fire. After shooting Stallworth, the assailant confronted Gerdes' fiancé, who managed to deflect the weapon before fleeing to another part of the house. He then heard another gunshot and the sound of the front door slamming. Rushing to the bedroom, he discovered his fiancée had been shot.
In the aftermath of the brutal double homicide, the New Orleans Police Department launched an intensive investigation. Detectives from the cold case division eventually took over the investigation and released a composite sketch of the man believed to be responsible for the killings. For years, the case remained a painful open wound for the families of Cinque Stallworth and Kimberly Gerdes, who were left to grapple with the sudden and senseless loss of their loved ones.
A significant breakthrough in the case finally came when a suspect, Carlos Heard, was identified and charged with the murders. The arrest brought a measure of hope to the grieving families that justice would finally be served for the tragic deaths of Cinque Stallworth and Kimberly Gerdes.
