In a tragic series of events that unfolded on January 26, 2019, Keith Michael Theriot, a 50-year-old male from Gonzales, Louisiana, was shot and killed in his home. His death was part of a horrifying rampage that spanned two parishes and claimed the lives of five people. The perpetrator was identified as his own son, Dakota Theriot, who was 21 years old at the time of the killings.
The violent spree began in Livingston Parish, where Dakota Theriot had been living with his girlfriend,
20-year-old Summer Ernest, and her family for a few weeks. In the early morning hours, he shot and killed Summer, her 43-year-old father Billy Ernest, and her 17-year-old brother, Tanner Ernest. Following these brutal acts, he stole Billy Ernest's truck and drove to his parents' home in the neighboring Ascension Parish.
Upon arriving at his parents' residence in Gonzales, Dakota continued his deadly assault, shooting both his father, Keith, and his mother, Elizabeth Theriot, who was also 50 years old. Despite being gravely wounded, Keith Theriot was able to call 911 and, in what authorities described as a 'dying declaration,' identified his son as the shooter. Both Keith and Elizabeth were transported to a hospital but ultimately succumbed to their injuries.
After the killings, Dakota Theriot fled the state, prompting a multi-state manhunt. He was apprehended the following day in Warsaw, Virginia, at his grandmother's home, over 1,000 miles from the crime scenes. Law enforcement in Virginia had been alerted and were waiting for him when he arrived. He was taken into custody without incident and subsequently extradited back to Louisiana to face charges.
In January 2023, nearly four years after the murders, Dakota Theriot pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder. The motive for the killings was never definitively established. In a plea deal that spared him the death penalty, he was sentenced to five concurrent life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole. Family members of the victims expressed a sense of relief that justice had been served, though the pain of their loss remains.
