In the summer of 2016, a tragedy unfolded in the coastal city of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, forever altering the lives of two families. On July 30th, 29-year-old Demetrius Mueller, a man described by family friends as charismatic and funny, was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head. He was discovered alongside his 28-year-old girlfriend, Kristina Quintini, in her duplex within the Bay Pines housing complex. The couple's infant daughter, only six months old at the time, was also a victim of the violent attack, suffering a gunshot wound to the shoulder but ultimately surviving.
The scene discovered by the Bay St. Louis Police Department was grim. Responding to a welfare check call, officers entered the residence to find the deceased couple. Neighbors later reported having heard gunshots earlier in the day. An autopsy would later confirm that Quintini had died from multiple gunshot wounds, while Mueller's death was the result of a single shot to the head. The investigation into the double homicide began immediately, with law enforcement working tirelessly to piece together the events that led to the brutal slayings.
The investigation quickly led to a person of interest. Myrick Laneaux, then 27 years old, was initially arrested for the theft of a car belonging to Mueller's mother. Soon after, his alleged involvement in the murders came to light. A close family friend or distant relative of Laneaux’s came forward to the police, stating that he had shown up at her home in a frantic state and confessed, 'I shot Demet and Kristina. I didn't mean to do it. I didn't mean to do it.' Based on this and other evidence, including a single. 380 caliber shell casing found at the scene that matched the bullets used in the shootings, Laneaux was charged with two counts of murder.
In the days and weeks that followed, the scope of Laneaux's alleged crimes expanded. In addition to the murder charges, he faced charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault for the shooting of the infant, as well as the initial charge of motor vehicle theft. At his initial court appearance, a judge set his bond at $1 million for each murder count. A subsequent preliminary hearing determined there was probable cause to send the case to a grand jury. Laneaux maintained his innocence, at one point screaming 'I'm innocent' following the hearing. He was held on a total bond of $2.85 million for all the charges.
