In the early morning hours of his 25th birthday, Ivy Chauard Don Smith, a Black / African American male, was killed in a brazen act of violence that also claimed the lives of his two friends. The night of April 3, 2005, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, ended in a triple homicide that remains a painful and unsolved chapter in the city's history. Alongside Smith, 26-year-old Kevin “Kel-boo” “Ace” Henderson and 23-year-old Joshua Earl Thomas were also fatally wounded.
The evening had
begun with a celebration that spilled over from a local venue, Club Shenanigan's. An altercation at the club is believed to have been the catalyst for the tragic events that followed. After leaving the club, Smith, Henderson, and Thomas were traveling in a vehicle when another car pulled alongside them. In a sudden burst of gunfire, all three men were shot. A uniformed patrol officer later discovered their car crashed into a pillar of a bank on Sherwood Forest Boulevard.
The scene was one of chaos and heartbreak. Ivy Smith's sister, Kenya Jarmon, who had been at the club earlier, rushed to her brother's side and attempted to administer CPR. Tragically, her efforts were in vain. Both Ivy Smith and Kevin Henderson were pronounced dead at the scene. Joshua Thomas was transported to a local hospital, where he fought for his life for two days before succumbing to his injuries.
Despite the initial investigation and the connection to the earlier dispute at the nightclub, no arrests have ever been made in the case. The identities of the suspect or suspects remain unknown, and the triple murder of Ivy Chauard Don Smith, Kevin Henderson, and Joshua Earl Thomas continues to be an open and unsolved case for the Baton Rouge Police Department.
