In the early morning hours of June 29, 2025, the life of 38-year-old Ashley Nicole Nugent, a lifelong resident of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, was tragically cut short. Authorities responded to reports of a shooting at a home on Tau Street in Belle Chasse around 5 a.m. Upon arrival, they discovered Ms. Nugent's body; she was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical services.
The female victim had sustained fatal gunshot wounds.
As deputies were responding to the scene, they observed a vehicle leaving the area and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The driver, however, fled, leading to a pursuit. The chase came to an end on the Jefferson/St. Charles parish line, near the Bonnet Carre Spillway, where the suspect was apprehended with the assistance of the Louisiana State Police. The individual taken into custody was identified as Terrance McKinney, a 53-year-old man from Duck Hill, Mississippi.
Following an investigation by the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office, Terrance McKinney was arrested in connection with Ashley Nugent's death. On September 17, 2025, a Plaquemines Parish Grand Jury handed down an indictment against McKinney. He faces charges of Second Degree Murder, Aggravated Obstruction of a Highway of Commerce, and Aggravated Flight from an Officer Where Human Life is Endangered. A judge set McKinney's bond at $1.1 million for the murder charge and $250,000 for each of the other charges.
