In the late hours of a Friday night in Bridge City, Louisiana, the life of 81-year-old Doretha Richardson, a beloved mother and grandmother known to many as 'Granny,' was tragically cut short. On February 15, 2013, deputies responded to reports of gunfire and discovered her on the kitchen floor of her home in the 300 block of 5th Street, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
The scene was chaotic, with bullet casings scattered both inside and outside the residence, suggesting the
shooters began firing from the street, leaving a trail leading to her front door. Miraculously, three other individuals inside the house, including a three-year-old child Richardson was reportedly caring for, were unharmed. The sheer violence of the act left neighbors and family members in shock, questioning why anyone would want to harm an elderly woman in her own home. The sound of the gunfire was so intense that some neighbors initially mistook it for fireworks.
In the wake of the shooting, Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office investigators began to piece together the events of that night. Their investigation led them to name a person of interest in the case: Willis Stevenson, Richardson's own grandson. Authorities revealed that both Richardson and Stevenson were co-defendants in a cocaine distribution case, suggesting a possible motive for the brutal slaying. The search for Stevenson began as the community mourned the loss of a woman described as a fun, loving, and devout Christian who was deeply devoted to her family.
