On a Saturday afternoon in Raceland, Louisiana, the life of 23-year-old Jeremiah Ballard was tragically cut short. On December 15, 2018, Ballard was in a garage on Market Street with two other men when two assailants, clad in black and wearing camouflage masks, burst in brandishing firearms. The intruders demanded money, and within moments, the scene devolved into chaos as one of the suspects opened fire.
The hail of bullets struck Ballard and another man, 26-year-old Marcel Turner.
A third individual who was present managed to escape the garage unharmed. Emergency services were called to the scene just before 3 p.m., where they found Turner deceased. Ballard, suffering from gunshot wounds, was rushed to Ochsner St. Anne Hospital in Raceland, but he succumbed to his injuries and died at the hospital.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly led authorities to identify two brothers, Kerry and Jerrell Alexander, as the primary suspects. Later that same day, investigators tracked the brothers to a restaurant in Boutte. Working with the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office, detectives located and detained the Alexanders, who were found wearing all-black clothing. A crucial piece of evidence was discovered outside the restaurant: a bag containing two handguns and camouflage masks, believed to be the items used during the commission of the murders. Witnesses reported seeing the Alexanders with the bag before they entered the establishment.
Both Kerry and Jerrell Alexander were arrested and subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Jeremiah Ballard and Marcel Turner, as well as one count of attempted first-degree murder. Both men had extensive criminal histories. In December 2019, a Lafourche Parish jury found Jerrell Alexander, then 29, guilty on two counts of second-degree murder. He was later sentenced to a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. His brother, Kerry Alexander, was scheduled to face trial at a later date. Jerrell Alexander also faced separate charges in St. Charles Parish related to the illegal possession of a firearm near a school, as the restaurant where they were apprehended was adjacent to a high school.
