‘This is a monster’: Man accused of killing 5 in Louisiana confesses to murders, authorities say

Autopsies for parents complete
Dakota Theriot was arrested in Richmond County, Virginia Sunday morning.
Dakota Theriot was arrested in Richmond County, Virginia Sunday morning.
Updated: Jan. 30, 2019 at 5:28 PM CST
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BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - The man accused of killing his parents and three others has confessed to the murders, Louisiana authorities reported in a press conference Tuesday, Jan. 29.

Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard and Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre held a press conference at the Louisiana Sheriff’s Association at noon Tuesday to provide new details in the case of Dakota Theriot, who’s accused of shooting five people in Ascension and Livingston parishes.

Theriot was arrested in Warsaw, Virginia Sunday, Jan. 27 and is being held there until Friday, Feb. 1 for his extradition hearing.

Authorities say Theriot also confessed that the handgun used in the shooting spree belonged to his father.

Theriot will be extradited to Ascension Parish, where he will be booked on two counts of first degree murder, home invasion, and illegal use of weapons. He will then be transferred to the Livingston Parish jail, where he will be booked on three counts of first-degree murder and theft of a motor vehicle.

“We know what happened here. He killed five people. This is a monster," Webre said. He also says if the district attorney moves forward with the case, the prosecution would not be opposed to seeking capital punishment.

A family is left in pieces after a gunman shot and killed a father and two children. (Source:...
A family is left in pieces after a gunman shot and killed a father and two children. (Source: WAFB)

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Ard says autopsies for Billy, Summer, and Tanner Ernest reveal the victims were each shot once in the head. The autopsies for Theriot’s parents also revealed they were shot in the head/facial area.

Authorities say a motive is still unclear.

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