Earl Benson, 78, was a father and grandfather living in the quiet community of Shongaloo, Louisiana. His life came to a sudden and violent end in his own front yard, an event witnessed by his 11-year-old grandson.
The tragedy unfolded on the evening of Sunday, October 11, 2026. Just before 6 p.m., Webster Parish Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to a home in the 1300 block of Highway Alternate 2. The call to 911 was made by Mr. Benson’s young grandson, who reported a shooting.
According to the boy, his mother, Lacey Mann, 34, had been "acting crazy." Concerned by her erratic behavior, Mr. Benson had instructed the child to call for help. As Mr. Benson and his grandson were getting out of a truck at the residence, Mann allegedly grabbed a .22-caliber revolver from the vehicle's center console.
The boy told investigators that his mother then shot his grandfather, Earl Benson, twice in the back. After shooting her father, Mann reportedly began chasing her son, who fled into the surrounding woods for safety while still on the phone with the 911 dispatcher. When deputies arrived at the Shongaloo home at approximately 5:53 p.m., they found a chaotic scene. Mann was in the front yard, wearing only pants. Mr. Benson was on the ground, unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene from two gunshot wounds to his back.
Deputies quickly took Lacey Mann into custody. During her arrest, she made an "excited utterance," stating, "I shot him." Officers searched the area for the 11-year-old boy and found him safe and physically unharmed in the woods. He was later questioned in the presence of an uncle. Inside Mr. Benson's truck, detectives located a .22-caliber revolver on the driver's seat. All five rounds in the weapon had been discharged. A subsequent test for gunshot residue on Mann's hands came back positive for both.
Mann was transported to the sheriff's office for an interview but refused to answer questions. According to the booking report, when deputies tried to move her from the interview room, she became combative, kicking, screaming, and spitting at an officer.
Lacey Mann was arrested and booked into the Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center on charges of second-degree murder for the death of her father and battery of a police officer for the altercation at the sheriff's office. She was held without bond. Webster Parish Sheriff Jason Parker commented on the tragic nature of the event, particularly for the young witness. "This young man has witnessed a tragic event that he’s probably never going to permanently get rid of," Parker said. The sheriff also noted that Mann had a history with the department, referencing an incident about a year and a half prior when she had been reported missing for four days before emerging from the woods near her home.
The case against Lacey Mann is proceeding through the court system in Webster Parish. The investigation is being handled by the Webster Parish Sheriff's Office.
