In the early morning hours of Sunday, March 22, 2026, the life of 29-year-old Anthony Wesley Jr. was cut short in a fatal shooting at the Jefferson Lakes Apartments in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Deputies from the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the scene on Jefferson Highway around 5:50 a.m., where they discovered Wesley's body on the sidewalk in front of his apartment.
He had been shot multiple times.
The investigation into Wesley's death quickly pointed to 32-year-old Riddick Franklin. Detectives learned that Wesley had been involved in a custody dispute with the mother of his children, who had also been in a previous relationship with Franklin. Surveillance footage from Wesley's apartment captured the brutal attack, showing him being shot from behind before the assailant stood over him and fired again. A vehicle seen leaving the apartment complex shortly after the shooting was traced back to Franklin.
Later that day, authorities located and detained Franklin for questioning. A search of his vehicle and a residence on Sharon Hills Boulevard where he was staying uncovered a handgun, his cell phone, and clothing that matched what the shooter was wearing in the surveillance video. During questioning, Franklin allegedly admitted to the killing. He told detectives that he had gone to Wesley's apartment that morning to "squash the beef" following previous altercations between the two men. Franklin claimed that during their conversation, he produced a firearm and shot Wesley multiple times. He then returned home, disassembled the weapon, and washed his clothes in an attempt to destroy evidence.
Riddick Franklin was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. He faces charges of second-degree murder, illegal use of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and obstruction of justice.
