Disabled 88-year-old was trapped inside home
Two people have been arrested after the violent murder of a disabled 88-year-old St. Rose woman who was killed after her house was set on fire, according to the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Toby W. Beasley, 31, of 118 Thelma Lane in Hahnville, has been charged with first degree murder and aggravated arson. Janna L. Firmin, 34, of 13338 Circle G Ranch Road in Picayune, Miss., has been charged with principle to first degree murder and principle to aggravated arson.
Authorities say that Beasley kicked in the door of a home in the 600 block of Mockingbird Lane at 6:30 a.m. on Friday and argued with a 16-year-old and 20-year-old who both lived at the residence. The argument escalated and Beasley poured an accelerant on the floor of the living room and then lit it, St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Dwayne LaGrange said.
The home at 628 Mockingbird Lane was fully ablaze within seconds, he added.
While the two young residents were able to escape, their 88-year-old grandmother, identified as Ophelia Shepard, was trapped in the house and killed. Shepard had both of her legs amputated due to severe diabetes. She also suffered from arthritis, according to her family.
Shepard was the aunt of long-serving St. Charles School Board member John Smith.
“My aunt was a wonderful person. She grew up and spent her life as a Christian woman,” Smith said.
He said that Shepherd was beloved by her Fifth African Baptist Church family in St. Rose, where she was a member and past choral director and organist.
He said that Shepherd has been disabled for about 20 years.
“She was bedridden for some time, but through all of that she remained a very faithful person who was always smiling and laughing. She was loved by her family and the community,” Smith said.
Smith said his family has come together to help each other deal with the loss of Shepard, and that they are specifically rallying around his one surviving aunt who is now the matriarch of the family.
“We only have one aunt left so we’re spending quite a bit of time with her and making sure she is OK,” he said.
LaGrange said police were able to track down Beasley after a witness saw him get into a grey Chevrolet Impala with Louisiana license plate TGZ045 after the arson. The vehicle was spotted later that day on I-310 and both Beasley, and Firmin, who authorities believe served as the getaway driver, were arrested.
LaGrange said that the two were located due to the diligent work of parish patrol units.
“This was a very tragic incident and we are saddened by how this transpired,” LaGrange said. “School kids were waiting at the bus stop at the time of the incident and had to witness this tragic event.”
LaGrange said that Beasley knew Shepard’s grandsons, but refused to elaborate. He said the investigation is still ongoing.
Both Beasley and Firmin are being held at the Nelson Coleman Correctional Center without bond.
This is the second murder in the parish this year. On Jan. 13, R.K. Smith Middle School science teacher Fenisha Charles, 38, was killed in what authorities say was a murder-suicide. Charles and her husband, Carroll Charles Jr., 40, were found lying dead on their bedroom floor by their 15-year-old daughter.
The couple lived in Destrehan.
Lifestyles editor Michelle Stuckey contributed to this report.
Be the first to comment