In the late afternoon of December 23, 2024, a tragedy unfolded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that cut short the life of 18-year-old Kyle 'KJ' Earthly Jr. A senior at Broadmoor High School, Earthly was known for his kind and helpful nature, a trait his family believes ultimately led to his untimely death. On that day, he had agreed to give a classmate, Jeremiah Howze, a ride. The two had stopped at a Best Buy before the fatal encounter.
Around 3:30 p.m., in the 15000 block of Old Hammond Highway, Earthly was shot multiple times while inside his own vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
After the shooting, the suspect fled the scene on foot, leaving the car to cross multiple lanes of traffic before crashing. For eight days, Jeremiah Howze, who was 17 at the time, evaded authorities. He was apprehended on New Year's Eve. Investigators were able to identify Howze through surveillance footage. Initially, Howze was charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice. A grand jury later indicted him on these charges, adding a charge of possession of a machine gun.
The legal proceedings that followed have been closely watched by Earthly's grieving family. Howze's bond was initially set at $150,000, a sum that the family publicly decried as insultingly low. After posting bond, Howze was placed on house arrest but was later taken back into custody for repeatedly violating its conditions. A judge subsequently revoked his initial bond and set a new, higher bond of $650,000. In court, Howze has pleaded not guilty, and his defense has indicated an intent to argue self-defense.
