In the late hours of a July night in Reserve, Louisiana, the lives of two young men were tragically cut short. Just after midnight on Tuesday, July 30, 2019, deputies from the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office were called to a grim scene at the intersection of West Airline Highway and East 22nd Street. A vehicle had crashed into a ditch, but this was no ordinary traffic accident.
Inside, authorities discovered the bodies of 18-year-old Kerell Tyrez Sanders and his 20-year-old cousin, Kyron Perrilloux, both residents of Reserve. It was immediately apparent that they had been the victims of a targeted attack, having been shot before the crash. Sheriff Mike Tregre described the incident as a 'double homicide,' stating that the two young men had been 'stalked and hunted down' in what was not a random act of violence.
Kerell Sanders was a recent graduate of East St. John High School, having just received his diploma in May of 2019. He had been a player on the school's football team and was looking forward to starting his freshman year at Southeastern Louisiana University, with plans to study engineering. His mother remembered him as a bright and positive young man who had a knack for making people smile and could eloquently explain complex concepts to his classmates. He was a hero to his younger brother and was seen as a loyal friend and an uplifting presence to those who knew him.
The investigation into the murders quickly progressed, and within a couple of days, an arrest was made. Theron Williams, a 25-year-old from New Orleans and reportedly a relative of the victims, was taken into custody and charged with two counts of second-degree murder. Shortly after, a second suspect, Kelvin Taylor, was also arrested in connection with the double homicide. Family and friends, grappling with the sudden and violent loss, held a balloon release and vigil to honor the memories of Kerell and Kyron. While the arrests brought a small measure of hope for justice, the community was left to mourn the senseless deaths of two of its young members. The family urged for peace and for the judicial system to be allowed to run its course, pleading that there be no further violence in the wake of their tragedy.
