In the quiet community of Coushatta, Louisiana, the life of 25-year-old Earl Moore was cut short on March 30, 2017. Moore was fatally shot at the Red River Estate Apartments following a dispute. Witnesses described seeing two men arrive in a truck and confront Moore. After a brief verbal exchange, one of the men opened fire. Moore was transported to Christus Coushatta hospital in a private vehicle, but he succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into Moore's death led to the swift
arrest of a father and son, Carrel and Daniel Waites, on the same day as the shooting. Daniel Waites was charged with second-degree murder, while his father, Carrel Waites, faced a charge of principal to second-degree murder. Relatives of Moore indicated that the altercation stemmed from accusations that Moore had stolen a gun and money from Daniel Waites. His mother asserted that her son was unarmed at the time of the fatal encounter.
In September 2020, Daniel Waites, then 37, entered into a plea agreement, pleading guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. The plea deal included a prospective sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison. The sentencing hearing, scheduled for November of that year, was set to include victim impact statements from Moore's family. At the time of his son's plea deal, Carrel Waites was reportedly free on a one-million-dollar cash bond while awaiting his own trial.
