In the winter of 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana, the life of 23-year-old Breon Stewart, an African American woman, was tragically cut short. On the night of December 16th, she and her 25-year-old companion, Lionel Delpit III, were discovered in a Chrysler PT Cruiser parked at the Wind Run Apartments on the I-10 Service Road in New Orleans East. Both had been shot multiple times.
The tragedy was compounded by the fact that Breon was nine months pregnant, just days away from her due date.
Her unborn son, who was to be named Lionel Delpit IV, also perished in the attack. The New Orleans Coroner's Office later confirmed that the unborn child was viable, leading authorities to investigate the case as a triple homicide. Breon was a promising young woman who had been the valedictorian of her high school and was on the verge of graduating with a nursing degree. Lionel was a celebrated Mardi Gras Indian big chief, following in his father's footsteps.
In the immediate aftermath, New Orleans police expressed their belief that the shooting was not a random act and that the couple had been targeted. The brutality of the crime, with reports of around 20 shots fired into the vehicle, shocked the community and left their families devastated.
Despite the initial belief that they were targeted, the investigation into the murders of Breon Stewart, Lionel Delpit III, and their unborn son has grown cold. No suspects have ever been publicly identified, and no arrests have been made in the years following the incident. Law enforcement and organizations like Crimestoppers have periodically issued appeals to the public for any information that might lead to a breakthrough in the case, at one point doubling the reward money. However, a motive for the killings remains elusive. The case stands as a painful, unsolved chapter for a grieving family and a community still seeking justice for the violent loss of three lives.
