In the summer of 2017, a young woman's life was tragically cut short in a wave of violence that swept through a New Orleans neighborhood. Brayanta Pershondra 'Bree' Ketchens, a 21-year-old female, was killed on June 14, 2017, in what police believe was a retaliatory act following a series of escalating disputes.
The tragic events began with an argument between Ketchens and a man named Dalton Stone.
Later that day, Ketchens's boyfriend, 25-year-old Devin Anderson, allegedly shot and wounded Stone. This act of violence is believed to have set in motion a devastating chain of events that would ultimately lead to Ketchens's death. Hours after the initial shooting, a group of men forcibly entered Ketchens's home in the Gert Town neighborhood and she was fatally shot.
In the aftermath of the murder, law enforcement identified and pursued several suspects. Among them was Jonathan Stone, the brother of the man Anderson had allegedly shot. Stone, along with 21-year-old Kenneth Murdock, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with Ketchens's death. Anderson, Ketchens's boyfriend, was later apprehended in Florida and charged with attempted second-degree murder for the shooting of Dalton Stone.
The investigation continued to unfold, leading to the identification of additional suspects. The New Orleans Police Department sought Michael Meyers on a warrant for second-degree murder. Nelson Raymond IV was wanted as a principal to second-degree murder, and authorities also sought Jamaal 'JD' Horton for a DNA sample in relation to the case. The arrests and identification of multiple suspects painted a grim picture of a dispute that spiraled into deadly retribution, leaving a community to mourn the loss of a young life.
