On a Saturday morning in Bogalusa, Louisiana, the body of 27-year-old Jonathan C. Roberts was discovered behind the Thirkield United Methodist Church on September 13, 2014. Roberts, a resident of Bogalusa, had been fatally shot in the head. The initial investigation by the Bogalusa Police Department faced challenges, with leads quickly turning into dead ends.
However, with assistance from the community, the investigation gained momentum.
Detectives were able to identify Larry Dupre Alderson, a 38-year-old from Pomona, California, who had been living in the Bogalusa area for about three months, as the primary suspect. The investigation revealed that following the killing, Alderson had fled to Mobile, Alabama. Working with law enforcement in Mobile, Bogalusa police tracked Alderson to a bus station where he was taken into custody. Alderson's companion, 23-year-old Brooke Ramsey of Bogalusa, was also arrested at the scene. The suspected murder weapon, a 9mm handgun, was successfully recovered by the authorities.
Following his apprehension, Larry Alderson, who was found to have a lengthy criminal record spanning 13 pages, was charged with first-degree murder. Brooke Ramsey was charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. After being extradited back to Louisiana, Alderson faced additional charges, including being a felon in possession of a firearm. In April 2016, Alderson pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of manslaughter and attempted armed robbery. A judge subsequently sentenced him to 40 years for manslaughter and an additional 10 years for attempted armed robbery, with the sentences to be served consecutively, resulting in a total of 50 years in prison.
