On a late Thursday night in March 2016, the life of 33-year-old Dwayne Stephens was tragically cut short in a hail of gunfire outside a Prairieville, Louisiana residence. The male victim, reportedly a Black man, was approaching the home on Lee Stevens Road when a Lincoln Town Car carrying three individuals pulled up. Two men, armed with a handgun and a semi-automatic rifle, exited the vehicle and opened fire.
Stephens was struck multiple times in the stomach.
Inside the home, the terrifying scene unfolded as bullets pierced through the walls. Present in the residence were Stephens' fiancée, Tamekia Ricks, his 14-year-old son, and Ricks' 4-year-old son. Ricks later recounted that Stephens was just stepping through the door when the shooting began. She heroically shielded the two children, instructing them to get on the floor as the shots rang out. The last words she heard from her fiancé were a confirmation that he had been hit before he collapsed. He was transported to a local hospital where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The subsequent investigation by the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office led to the identification of three suspects: Joshua Stephens, Caleb Carter, and Marcus Harris. It was reported that two of the suspects were the victim's cousins. Warrants were issued for their arrests, and all three were eventually taken into custody. Joshua Stephens and Marcus Harris were apprehended in Galveston, Texas, while Caleb Carter was found in Baton Rouge.
The legal process that followed revealed that Joshua Stephens, armed with an assault rifle, and Marcus Harris, with a handgun, were the two who fired upon Dwayne Stephens. Caleb Carter remained in the vehicle, supplying ammunition to the shooters. In September 2023, Joshua Stephens was found guilty by an Ascension Parish jury of second-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and aggravated criminal damage to property. Prior to the trial, Caleb Carter pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit second-degree murder. The outcome for the third suspect, Marcus Harris, was not detailed in the available information.
