On an evening in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, tragedy struck Devonta Ennis, a 25-year-old male. On April 25, 2021, at approximately 7:40 p.m., Ennis was inside a vehicle in the 4700 block of Prescott Drive when he was fatally wounded by multiple gunshots. The incident unfolded near the intersection of Prescott Drive and Beechwood Drive, leaving the community shaken and investigators with a complex case to unravel.
In the immediate aftermath, the motive and the identity of the suspect were
unknown, prompting Baton Rouge Police Homicide Detectives to launch a thorough investigation. Their efforts led them to focus on Curtis Stewart, Jr. On the evening of June 24, 2021, a coordinated effort between Baton Rouge Police Detectives, the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, and the Baton Rouge Police Street Crimes Unit resulted in the apprehension of the then 27-year-old Stewart. He was subsequently booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on charges of second-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon.
The investigation pieced together a harrowing sequence of events from surveillance footage recovered from a nearby Dollar General. The video appeared to show a white Chevrolet Traverse and a silver Nissan Armada boxing in the black Mercedes that Ennis occupied. A person was seen exiting the Traverse, opening fire on the Mercedes, and then fleeing the scene in the same vehicle, with the Armada following. Further investigation revealed that both the Traverse and the Armada were later found burned in a nearby park and had been reported stolen. The owners of the stolen vehicles informed detectives that Curtis Stewart, Jr. had previously used and had access to their vehicles.
Following his arrest, the case against Curtis Lee Stewart Jr. proceeded through the legal system. He was tried and convicted of the second-degree murder of Devonta Ennis. However, in a subsequent appeal, Stewart challenged the conviction, arguing that the circumstantial evidence presented at trial was insufficient to prove he was the perpetrator who shot the victim. The appellate court ultimately reversed the conviction, creating a new turn in the quest for justice for Devonta Ennis.
