On a tragic Easter Sunday in 2020, the life of 24-year-old Brett Wayne Ritchie of Bogalusa, Louisiana, was cut short in a violent encounter. On the afternoon of April 12th, law enforcement responded to reports of gunfire in a rural area of southeast Washington Parish. Upon arrival, they discovered Ritchie's body on the edge of a gravel driveway, the victim of multiple gunshot wounds.
Witnesses at the scene described a vehicle with Texas license plates leaving the area shortly after the
shots were fired. This crucial piece of information led Washington Parish Sheriff's Office deputies to locate the described vehicle in the Enon area. The driver, identified as 24-year-old Trevion R. Mark of Fort Worth, Texas, was detained. A search of his person revealed illegal drugs, leading to his immediate arrest on drug possession charges.
As detectives delved deeper into the homicide investigation, they were able to connect Mark to the crime scene and to the victim, Brett Ritchie. This led to an additional and far more serious charge of second-degree murder. According to Ritchie's mother, her son was innocently riding his bike home from a store when he happened to witness a car being shot at by individuals she believes were gang members. She alleges that because he was a witness, her son was kidnapped, driven to the remote location, and shot eleven times. An autopsy report, she claims, indicated that two different types of bullets were used, suggesting the possibility of more than one assailant.
In August 2023, a Washington Parish Grand Jury indicted Trevion R. Mark, then 27, on charges of second-degree murder and second-degree kidnapping in connection with Brett Ritchie's death. The indictment also included charges of obstruction of justice by tampering with evidence and possession of fentanyl. While law enforcement has not officially confirmed the motive, the theory that Ritchie was killed after witnessing another crime persists. As of the indictment, Mark was being held in the Washington Parish Jail with a bond set at $805,000. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue to seek more details surrounding the senseless killing.
