In the quiet community of Larose, Louisiana, the morning of Sunday, September 22, 2013, was shattered by a grim discovery that would unravel a story of crime and retribution. Inside a modest apartment on West 4th Street, the bodies of 54-year-old Harry Lefort of Cut Off and 41-year-old Nikki Landry were found by a member of Landry's family. Both had been shot multiple times, with nine-millimeter bullet casings littering the scene of the double homicide.
The Lafourche Parish Sheriff's office was immediately called to investigate the brutal slayings.
As investigators delved into the lives of the victims, a motive for the killings quickly began to surface. Nikki Landry, it was revealed, was not just a resident of the apartment where she and Lefort were found; she was also a confidential police informant. She was scheduled to be a key witness in the upcoming drug trial of a man named Toronzo Thompkins, a 35-year-old from Raceland who was accused of selling cocaine. Landry had participated in a controlled buy from Thompkins in March 2011, a transaction that was captured on a hidden camera at the request of the Lafourche Parish Drug Task Force. This connection placed a target on her back.
The investigation into the double murder led authorities to Thompkins, who was already incarcerated while awaiting his trial. From behind bars, Thompkins allegedly orchestrated the murder of the woman who was set to testify against him. Investigators believe that Thompkins ordered his own 18-year-old son, Traveyon Blackledge of Thibodaux, and an associate, 35-year-old Jerrard Major Sr. of Raceland, to carry out the killings. It is believed that Landry was the primary target, and Lefort was tragically in the wrong place at the wrong time. In February 2014, all three men were arrested for their alleged roles in the murders.
Following their arrests, a Lafourche Parish grand jury indicted Toronzo Thompkins, Traveyon Blackledge, and Jerrard Major Sr. on two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Nikki Landry and Harry Lefort. During questioning, it was reported that Blackledge confessed to his involvement in the crimes. In the drug case that set these tragic events in motion, Toronzo Thompkins was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison, even as he faced the more serious charges for the double homicide.
