In February 2018, the lives of 28-year-old Dustin Hartline, a male, and his friend, Raegan Day, were cut tragically short in what began as a planned meeting and ended in a desolate, wooded area near Slidell, Louisiana. The pair had set out from Pearl River on February 15, under the impression they were meeting an acquaintance of Day's, Brittney Savell, to potentially sell Day's Camaro or engage in a drug transaction. This meeting, however, was a meticulously planned ambush.
When they arrived at a remote, abandoned property, they were met by masked, armed assailants who forced them from their vehicle at gunpoint.
Led down a trail into the woods, the terrifying ordeal escalated with shocking speed. One of the attackers, Jason Landry, shot Hartline in the back of the head. In the ensuing chaos, another assailant's weapon accidentally discharged, striking Landry in the foot. Landry then turned his gun on Day, shooting her in the head as well. The attackers put the bodies of Hartline and Day into Day's Camaro and drove to the East Pearl River Boat Launch. There, they submerged the car in the water, concealing the horrific crime beneath the river's surface. For nearly three weeks, the friends were considered missing persons, their families and law enforcement desperately searching for answers.
The investigation led authorities to the submerged vehicle on March 5, where the grim discovery was made. Hartline's body was found in the trunk, and Day's was in the passenger area. The case unraveled as investigators identified four primary suspects: Jason Landry, Brittney Savell, Derrion Lemoine, and Steven Oliveieri. A subsequent investigation revealed a particularly cruel detail: when Lemoine and Oliveieri went to dispose of the bodies, they discovered that Raegan Day was still alive despite her initial injuries. Ignoring her pleas for help, Oliveieri fatally shot her. A grand jury later indicted the four for their roles in the kidnapping and murders, with a fifth individual indicted as an accessory. All four main perpetrators were eventually sentenced for their crimes. Jason Landry pleaded guilty to charges including two counts of manslaughter and was sentenced to 80 years in prison. Steven Oliveieri pleaded guilty to manslaughter and obstruction of justice, receiving a 65-year sentence. Brittney Savell and Derrion Lemoine were also convicted and sentenced to prison, bringing a conclusion to the brutal case that claimed two young lives.
