In a tragic turn of events on a Tuesday evening in Lake Charles, Louisiana, a dispute ended in the death of Timothy Wayne Napoleon, a 52-year-old male. On January 7, 2020, at approximately 6:26 p.m., police were called to a residence in the 2300 block of Tulip Street where they discovered two individuals had been shot. Both victims were quickly transported to a local hospital for medical attention. Napoleon, however, succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. The second victim, a female, was treated for her injuries.
The subsequent investigation by the Lake Charles Police Department led to the swift identification of a suspect. Michael Andre Thomas, also 52 years old, was identified as the individual responsible for the shooting. He was located, arrested, and booked into the Calcasieu Parish Correctional Center. Thomas faced serious charges, including second-degree murder for the death of Timothy Napoleon and attempted second-degree murder for the shooting of the female victim, who was later identified as Crystal Jones. The bond for Thomas was set at $650,000.
Further details emerged, revealing a troubled domestic situation at the heart of the violence. Crystal Jones was the ex-girlfriend of Michael Andre Thomas and was in a new relationship with Timothy Napoleon. On the evening of the shooting, Jones and Napoleon had gone to Thomas's home on Tulip Street to retrieve some of her personal belongings. This encounter escalated tragically, resulting in Thomas shooting both his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. The shooting left Jones paralyzed.
On June 11, 2021, a jury delivered a unanimous verdict, finding Michael Andre Thomas guilty of the second-degree murder of Timothy Wayne Napoleon and the attempted second-degree murder of Crystal Jones. During the trial, it was revealed that Thomas had confessed to the crimes in a videotaped statement to the police and also in a recorded phone call to his sister from the Calcasieu Correctional Center. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison at hard labor without the possibility of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence for the murder of Napoleon. For the attempted murder of Jones, he received a 50-year sentence. Thomas later appealed his conviction, arguing that his sentence was excessive and that he had acted in self-defense. However, the appeal was denied, and his conviction was upheld.
