In the quiet community of Kenner, Louisiana, Daneka S. Lott, a 24-year-old mother of four, was building a life centered around her children and her passion for cosmetology. Born in Metairie, she had pursued her education at the Aveda Institutes of New Orleans and John Jay, taking pride in her ability to make others feel beautiful. Her life, however, came to a tragically abrupt end on January 17, 2017, in a devastating act of violence that also claimed the lives of two others.
On that
fateful day, Daneka was the driver of a Honda Accord on South Laurel Street in Metairie. In the car with her were her boyfriend, Malcolm Wallace, 25, and his 16-year-old sister. A man they knew, Corey Woods, 33, of Metairie, was seated in the back. Without warning, Woods opened fire, his intended target being Wallace, who was in the front passenger seat. In a calculated and ruthless move to eliminate witnesses, Woods then turned the gun on Daneka and Wallace's teenage sister as she tried to flee the vehicle.
The investigation that followed pieced together the horrific events through a combination of witness interviews and surveillance footage from nearby businesses. This evidence led the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office to identify Corey Woods as the perpetrator. In November of the following year, a Jefferson Parish jury convicted Woods on three counts of second-degree murder and one count of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
In January 2019, Woods was sentenced for his crimes. A judge handed down three life sentences for the murders, to be served concurrently. In addition to the life sentences, Woods received a 20-year sentence for the firearm offense. It was also revealed that during the same month as the murders, Woods had been involved in heroin distribution, which resulted in a separate 50-year prison sentence, to be served consecutively with his life sentences, ensuring he would spend the remainder of his life behind bars.
