In the summer of 2012, the life of 60-year-old Milton Womack, a male resident of New Orleans, was violently cut short. On July 27, 2012, Womack was shot and killed as part of a calculated plot to silence his testimony in an impending federal case. His death was not a random act of violence, but a murder-for-hire orchestrated to prevent him from cooperating with law enforcement. Womack was a former employee and a key witness in a $17 million health care fraud scheme, and his cooperation with the authorities was a significant threat to his former employer.
The investigation into Womack's murder eventually unraveled a conspiracy led by Louis Age Jr., who was implicated in the health care fraud. To protect himself from Womack's testimony, Age Jr. initiated a plan to have him killed. This scheme also involved his son, Louis Age III, along with Ronald Wilson and Stanton Guillory. The indictment against these men, which was handed down in August 2017, detailed a variety of charges related to the murder-for-hire plot. The motive was clear: to retaliate against Womack and prevent him from testifying not only about the health care fraud but also about other crimes, including an instance of arson for insurance fraud.
The wheels of justice turned, and in April 2022, a jury found Louis Age Jr., Louis Age III, Ronald Wilson, and Stanton Guillory guilty on multiple counts, including conspiracy to commit murder for hire and murder for hire. The trial, which spanned three weeks, concluded with the conviction of all four men. Each of them faced and received a mandatory life sentence for their roles in the silencing of Milton Womack. Subsequent appeals by the convicted men were denied, affirming the life sentences and closing the legal chapter on a case that highlighted a ruthless attempt to obstruct justice.
