In the late hours of a Friday night in Lafayette, Louisiana, the life of 49-year-old Madrona Brown was tragically cut short. On September 29, 2017, Madrona, an African American woman, and her 45-year-old husband, Larry Brown, were found shot to death in the parking lot of an IHOP restaurant on the Evangeline Thruway. The discovery was made after 9 p.m., when Lafayette Police officers responded to reports of a shooting.
The initial investigation launched by the Lafayette Police Department
sought information from the public to piece together the events that led to the double homicide. Both Madrona, who was from New Orleans, and Larry, a resident of Lafayette, succumbed to apparent gunshot wounds at the scene. The brazen nature of the crime in a public area left the community seeking answers.
A break in the case came when the U.S. Marshall Service Violent Offender Task Force apprehended a suspect. John Christopher McGraw of New Orleans was arrested in Marrero in connection with the killings. Following his arrest, McGraw was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Madrona and Larry Brown.
