In the quiet community of Church Point, Louisiana, the life of 32-year-old Anthony D. 'Meatball' Citizen was tragically cut short in the early morning hours of Monday, April 18, 2016. Just before midnight on Sunday, April 17, 2016, the Acadia Parish Sheriff's Office received a report of shots fired off of Peach Bloom Highway. Upon their arrival, deputies discovered a grim scene; Anthony Citizen was found deceased, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation into the
homicide quickly pointed to a suspect, 20-year-old Raymond L. Celestine IV, also a resident of Church Point. In a significant development, Celestine turned himself in to the authorities at the Sheriff's Office. Following his surrender, he was arrested and booked into the Acadia Parish Jail.
Celestine was subsequently charged with second-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of Anthony Citizen. A judge set his bond at $350,000. The body of Anthony Citizen was transported to the Calcasieu Parish Coroner's Office for an autopsy to officially determine the cause of death. The community mourned the loss of Citizen, who was remembered at a Mass of Christian Burial at Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church on April 28, 2016, before being laid to rest in the church's new cemetery.
