On a grim Thursday morning, April 20, 2023, the life of Rochaune L. Prenell, a 42-year-old Black/African American man from Alexandria, Louisiana, was tragically cut short. His body was discovered in a ditch in the 6000 block of LA Highway 1 North by a Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development mowing crew at approximately 10:36 AM. Investigators from the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office who responded to the scene determined that Prenell had sustained gunshot wounds, which were later
considered the cause of his death pending an autopsy report.
The investigation into the homicide progressed swiftly. By the late hours of Thursday and into the early morning of Friday, detectives had identified a person of interest, Donald Ray Sias, Jr., 32, also of Alexandria. This led them to a residence in the 1700 block of Kilkenny Lane, where they executed a search warrant and took Sias into custody without incident. Initially, he was arrested on charges of contempt for non-support and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
As the investigation continued, a second suspect, Otha Lee Tatum, Sr., was identified. On April 24, 2023, Tatum was located and arrested, facing charges of obstruction of justice and criminal conspiracy. Following this second arrest, the charges against Donald Ray Sias, Jr., who remained in custody, were upgraded significantly. He was re-booked on counts of second-degree murder, carjacking, criminal conspiracy, and obstruction of justice.
Both men were booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center. A bond for Sias was set at $1,226,000, while Tatum's bond was set at $125,000. At the time of these developments, the Sheriff's Office stated that the investigation was still active and ongoing.
