In the late summer evening of August 20, 2019, the life of 45-year-old Derrick Purnell Terrell, an African American male, was violently cut short in Shreveport, Louisiana. The tragic events unfolded at the Knight's Inn motel in the western part of the city, stemming from a dispute involving a woman Terrell was seeing, Tamala Ware, who had a room at the motel. What began as a disagreement escalated into a chase that coursed through the hotel, culminating in Terrell being shot multiple times.
He was found deceased in the parking lot of the business.
The immediate aftermath of the shooting saw the perpetrators flee the scene. One of the assailants, Jonathan Crenshaw, escaped in Terrell's own vehicle, which was later discovered burned. The second shooter, Terence Felix Jr., fled in his truck. Tamala Ware also fled the scene. The Shreveport Police Department quickly launched an investigation, utilizing surveillance footage from the motel and witness statements to piece together the events of that fatal night. The video evidence proved crucial in identifying the individuals responsible for Terrell's death.
Within days, the investigation led to arrests. Tamala Ware was apprehended on August 23, 2019, in Shreveport. Surveillance footage reportedly showed Ware next to Terrell's vehicle, assisting the two shooters in removing the license plate just moments before they pursued and killed him. She identified the shooters as her friends. The two male suspects, Jonathan Crenshaw, then 34, and Terence Felix Jr., then 29, both from Abbeville, Louisiana, were taken into custody in their hometown by the end of August 2019. All three were charged with second-degree murder.
In December 2023, Jonathan Crenshaw and Terence Felix Jr. were convicted of the second-degree murder of Derrick Purnell Terrell. Both men were subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. The sentence is to be served at hard labor. Tamala Ware faces separate second-degree murder charges in connection with the slaying.
