In the late summer of 2013 in New Orleans, a heart-wrenching act of violence claimed the life of 1-year-old Londyn Unique Samuels, an African American girl. On the evening of August 29th, Londyn was being carried in the arms of her 18-year-old babysitter in the Central City neighborhood when gunfire erupted. A bullet struck the babysitter in the back and tragically passed through her, hitting Londyn in the chest and ending her young life.
The senseless shooting sent shockwaves through the community and left a family shattered by the sudden and brutal loss of their child.
The immediate aftermath of the shooting was filled with grief and a desperate search for answers. Londyn's mother was at her job at a non-profit café that promoted anti-violence when her daughter was killed. As the city mourned, law enforcement began an intensive investigation. The New Orleans Police Department, with the assistance of the SWAT team, worked to identify those responsible. Their efforts were aided by grainy surveillance footage which pointed to two men as persons of interest. A reward of $5,000 was offered by Crimestoppers for any information that would lead to an arrest and indictment in the case, as officials, including New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, appealed to the public for help in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
The investigation led to the arrests of two men, Darnell Ramee and Keelen Armstrong. In September 2013, Armstrong was taken into custody, followed by Ramee's arrest. The legal process that followed saw both men facing the consequences of their actions. In November 2017, Darnell Ramee, then 24, reached a plea deal with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Londyn Samuels and attempted second-degree murder for the shooting of her babysitter. He was sentenced to serve 40 years in prison for each charge, with the sentences to run concurrently. Shortly before Ramee's plea, his co-defendant, 29-year-old Keelen Armstrong, also pleaded guilty to the reduced charges of accessory to second-degree murder and accessory to attempted second-degree murder.
