Trinetta Monique St. Julian, a 42-year-old woman, was attempting to start a new chapter in her life while separating from her husband. In the final weeks of her life, she found herself living in fear, taking repeated steps to seek protection from law enforcement as she believed she was being stalked by her estranged husband. Her pleas for help were documented, painting a chilling picture of her escalating terror before she was killed.
In late September 2026, Trinetta began formally
reporting her concerns to the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana. On September 22, she walked into the sheriff's office to file a stalking report against her husband, 51-year-old Alton George St. Julian of Beaumont, Texas. She told deputies she believed he had followed her to a casino in the nearby city of Sulphur. The report was documented and forwarded to detectives for investigation. Just ten days later, on October 2, Trinetta contacted the sheriff’s office again, this time to report a burglary of her vehicle. She explained that cash and a lockbox containing her handgun had been stolen. She told the responding deputies that she and Alton were going through a divorce and that he had been stalking her for weeks. While she could not be certain he was the thief, she expressed her belief that he had followed her to her workplace just the day before.
Her fears were tragically realized on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 7, 2026. Shortly before 2:40 p.m., a witness at the WoodSpring Suites hotel on North Power Center Parkway in Lake Charles noticed a man hiding in the bushes. The witness confronted the man, who identified himself as Alton St. Julian and claimed he was "trying to catch his wife cheating." A short time later, the witness returned to the area to find that a woman had been shot and killed. First responders from the Lake Charles Police Department arrived to find Trinetta deceased in the hotel parking lot from multiple gunshot wounds.
Based on witness information, authorities immediately identified Alton St. Julian as the suspect and a massive manhunt was launched. Around 3 p.m., Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's deputies located his vehicle between the towns of DeQuincy and Starks. As they attempted a traffic stop, Alton fired at the deputies several times before abandoning his car and fleeing on foot into a heavily wooded area. The search intensified, with the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, and Louisiana State Police joining local deputies to establish a perimeter. After several hours, around 6 p.m., authorities located Alton within the search area, armed with a gun, and took him into custody.
Alton St. Julian was booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center on charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault upon a peace officer, illegal use of a weapon, and two counts of possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a felony. His bond was set at $2.6 million. The lead investigator on the case was identified as Detective C. Arabie of the Lake Charles Police Department.
In the wake of the murder, Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Stitch Guillory issued a statement expressing his condolences. “This is a horrible tragedy and my heart goes out to the victim’s family and friends,” he said. He addressed the reports Trinetta had filed, stating that while deputies conducted initial investigations, they did not have enough probable cause to make an arrest or issue a warrant at the time. He emphasized that both investigations had remained open and that the victim had an upcoming appointment to meet with detectives. Sheriff Guillory also spoke to the broader issue of domestic violence, encouraging victims to come forward and assuring the community that all reports are taken seriously. As of October 2026, the case against Alton St. Julian was pending in the Louisiana court system.
