In the summer of 1985, a horrific scene was discovered in a Shreveport, Louisiana home that would leave the community in shock. On the morning of July 19th, fifteen-year-old Carlitha Culbert, a female, was found murdered in her family's residence. The discovery was made by a relative who had arrived for a surprise visit, only to be confronted with an unimaginable tragedy that claimed the lives of four people in total.
The investigation into the brutal slayings revealed a crime of extreme
violence. Carlitha was found in the living room, her hands bound behind her back with an electrical cord. Her throat had been cut, but this was not the immediate cause of her death. The evidence suggested a prolonged and terrifying ordeal for the victims. Investigators believe the killer used the threat against Carlitha to control her mother, Vivian Chaney. Tragically, after her mother was taken to another room and killed, the assailant returned and ended Carlitha's life.
The other victims of the massacre were Carlitha's brother, twenty-five-year-old Jerry Culbert, who was shot in his sleep, and thirty-four-year-old Vivian Chaney, who was strangled and drowned. Another individual, Billy Joe Harris, was also found deceased at the scene. The calculated and brutal nature of the crimes pointed to a dangerous and methodical killer, leaving law enforcement with a complex and disturbing case to unravel.
The investigation ultimately led to the identification and arrest of Nathaniel Robert Code Jr. Evidence, including palm prints found at the scene, linked him to the heinous crimes. It was discovered that Code was a serial killer responsible for other murders in the Shreveport area between 1984 and 1987. In 1990, Nathaniel Code was tried and found guilty of the four murders that occurred on July 19, 1985. The jury recommended the death penalty for his horrific acts, and he was subsequently sentenced to death.
