In the early hours of a Wednesday morning in Plaquemine, Louisiana, the quiet of the Kingston Place subdivision was shattered by a single gunshot, though its significance would not be understood until later. Inside his home, 17-year-old Tramone McGinnis, a male, was fatally wounded. His parents reported hearing a loud noise during the night but were unsure of its origin.
The next morning, on January 5, 2022, his father saw him lying on the couch and assumed he was asleep before leaving for work. It was only later that the tragic reality was discovered; Tramone had been shot behind his ear and in his arm. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but succumbed to his injuries later that same morning.
The investigation into the death of Tramone McGinnis quickly focused on a suspect, another teenager from the community. Lee'Vonte Riley, who was 14 years old at the time, was detained and questioned by the Plaquemine Police Department later that day. Investigators came to believe the shooting was not a random act of violence, but rather a planned attack stemming from an ongoing and violent dispute between local gangs. The shooting was suspected to have occurred inside the McGinnis residence. Due to a lack of space in local juvenile facilities, the young suspect was transported to a juvenile detention center in Alabama following his arrest.
More than ten months after the shooting, a grand jury indicted Lee'Vonte Riley on charges of second-degree murder, illegal possession of a weapon, and obstruction of justice. In April 2024, Riley, then 16, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. As a result of his plea, he was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Having already served two years while awaiting trial, he will be eligible for parole upon his release. The district attorney noted that Riley's age at the time of the crime was a limiting factor in the potential sentence, even if he had been convicted on the original charge of second-degree murder.
