In the quiet community of Reserve, Louisiana, the life of 18-year-old Colay McCovery was tragically cut short in January 2018. The young man's body was discovered in a ditch near East 27th and Farlough streets on the morning of Saturday, January 27th, by a resident working in his yard. An autopsy would later confirm that McCovery had died from multiple gunshot wounds.
The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office immediately launched an investigation into the homicide.
Detectives believed the shooting likely occurred the previous night, between 8 and 9 p.m. on Friday, January 26th, when they had responded to a 'shots fired' call in the same vicinity. At the time, they were unable to locate a victim or any evidence of a crime. Authorities suspected that McCovery was shot and had run a short distance before collapsing in the ditch where he was later found. Investigators quickly determined that the killing was not a random act and believed the person or persons responsible were likely known within the local community.
Less than two weeks later, on February 7, 2018, the Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of a suspect in connection with McCovery's death. Rondell Maurice Dewey, a 21-year-old from Reserve, was taken into custody and booked on one count of second-degree murder. Following his arrest, Dewey was held in custody with his bond set at $750,000. At the time of the arrest, Sheriff Mike Tregre indicated that the investigation was ongoing and urged the public to come forward with any additional information. A reward of $5,000 was offered for information that would lead to the arrest and indictment of any suspect or suspects involved in the shooting. Further details regarding the motive for the shooting, the evidence that led to Dewey's arrest, and the outcome of the legal proceedings against him have not been made publicly available in subsequent news reports.
