In a tragic and unsettling event, 19-year-old Stacy Brown, a male, and his 47-year-old mother, Latonya Brown, were discovered shot to death in their apartment on South Sherwood Forest Boulevard in Baton Rouge. The grim discovery was made by Stacy's sister on the evening of April 26, 2023, when she returned home to the Canterbury House Apartments.
Authorities were immediately called to the scene, where they found both victims deceased from gunshot wounds.
From the outset, investigators ruled out the possibility of a murder-suicide and began treating the case as a double homicide. Police officials stated that they believed the shooting was a targeted attack, although a specific motive was not immediately released to the public. The shocking nature of the crime sent ripples of fear and concern through the apartment complex and the wider Baton Rouge community.
The investigation into the double murder continued for several months. Then, on July 12, 2023, a significant breakthrough was announced. With the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Task Force, Baton Rouge Police detectives arrested 33-year-old Erin Hartley in connection with the killings of Stacy and Latonya Brown. Hartley was subsequently booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. He is facing serious charges, including two counts of first-degree murder, illegal use of a weapon, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. While the arrest brought a sense of resolution to the community, the investigation was described as ongoing as authorities continued to piece together the events that led to the violent deaths of a son and his mother.
