In the early hours of Christmas morning in Ruston, Louisiana, a festive day turned tragic for 30-year-old Germil Deantonious Rhone. An altercation inside a Waffle House on the Farmerville Highway escalated to violence, shattering the holiday peace. Around 3:00 a.m. on December 25, 2022, Rhone was shot during the dispute. In the immediate aftermath, both Rhone and the alleged shooter fled the scene before law enforcement could arrive.
Shortly after the shooting, a single-vehicle rollover
crash was reported on East Georgia Avenue, not far from the restaurant. The driver of the overturned vehicle was Germil Rhone. He was transported to Northern Louisiana Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead from the gunshot wound he had sustained earlier. A passenger in his vehicle was fortunately not injured in the crash. The incident left behind a grieving family, including several young children who would now grow up without their father.
The Ruston Police Department quickly identified a suspect in the fatal shooting. Their investigation led them to 28-year-old Gerkerrio Demon Womack, also of Ruston. Believing he had fled to Texas, authorities were later informed that Womack had returned to the city. On January 4, 2023, law enforcement located and arrested Womack at a residence on West Barnett Springs Avenue without incident.
Womack was taken into custody and booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center. He faced a warrant for second-degree murder in connection with the death of Germil Rhone. In addition to the murder charge, Womack was also booked for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and distribution of a Schedule I controlled substance, the latter charge stemming from a separate investigation by the Lincoln Parish Narcotics Enforcement Team. A judge set his bail at $1,150,000.
