In the early hours of March 4, 1995, New Orleans Police Officer Ronald Austin Williams II, a 25-year-old male, was working an off-duty security detail at the Kim Anh restaurant in New Orleans East. This side job was a way for the young officer, who had joined the force in 1992, to better support his growing family, which included his high school sweetheart and their two sons, one of whom was just a week old.
The supposed tranquility of the late-night shift was shattered when a fellow officer, Antoinette Frank, and her accomplice, Rogers Lacaze, entered the closed restaurant to commit a robbery.
The situation escalated quickly and tragically. Lacaze ambushed Officer Williams, shooting him in the neck, which severed his spinal cord and paralyzed him instantly. As Williams fell, Lacaze shot him again in the head and back, inflicting mortal wounds. Frank, meanwhile, held two employees of the family-run restaurant, 25-year-old Ha Vu and her 17-year-old brother, Cuong Vu, at gunpoint, demanding to know where the money was. After finding the money, Frank shot and killed both siblings. Other family members who were present managed to hide and survive the horrific ordeal.
The investigation into the triple homicide swiftly pointed towards one of their own. Antoinette Frank, then 23 years old, and Rogers Lacaze, 18, were arrested and subsequently charged with three counts of first-degree murder. Frank's involvement was particularly shocking, as it was believed to be the first time a New Orleans police officer was charged with killing a fellow officer.
Frank and Lacaze were tried separately for the brutal slayings. Rogers Lacaze was found guilty in his trial, which took place from July 17th to the 21st, 1995. Antoinette Frank's trial began on September 5, 1995, and despite her defense team's efforts, the evidence against her was overwhelming. She was found guilty on September 12, 1995. Both she and Lacaze were sentenced to death for their roles in the murders of Officer Ronald Williams, Ha Vu, and Cuong Vu.
