On an evening in Houma, Louisiana, the life of 25-year-old Daronte Howard, an African American male, was cut short. On April 18, 2017, at approximately 10:30 p.m., Howard was sitting in a vehicle with a friend on Larry Street. Their night took a violent turn when several individuals approached them. One man, later identified as 31-year-old Travelyn Warren Gims, entered the back of the vehicle.
A struggle broke out between Howard and Gims.
At the same time, other suspects, clad in dark clothing, robbed Howard's friend at gunpoint. During the altercation, Howard was shot in his upper body. Despite his severe injuries, he managed to drive to Chabert Medical Center. He ultimately succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds the following day, on April 19, 2017.
The investigation that followed led to the identification and arrest of several suspects. Travelyn Warren Gims was charged with second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Michael Dewayne Diggs Jr., 34, and Jerod Mosley, 27, were also charged with second-degree murder. Diggs turned himself into the authorities, while Mosley was initially at large. Another individual, Landry Rendell Watkins Jr., was also implicated in the crime.
In January 2019, Landry Rendell Watkins Jr., then 23, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. His co-defendants, Gims and Mosley, also entered guilty pleas to manslaughter and were awaiting their sentencing.
