Jorion White remembered as well liked with an ‘infectious smile’
Daniel Beckley, the 10-year live-in boyfriend of Michelle Price of Kenner, was arrested and charged Monday with one count each of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice in connection with the death of 16-year-old Jorion White.
Beckley, of 2614 Phoenix Drive in Kenner, was arrested Monday without incident and being held in Nelson Coleman Correctional Center, St. Charles Parish Greg Champagne said at the May 4 press conference.
Champagne said he was the last person to see White alive last Thursday.
No motive has been determined as of yet in the ongoing investigation.
Because the location of the homicide is unknown, the law dictates the parish where the body was found is where the prosecution takes place. Kenner Police are assisting in the case.
White, found face down in a drainage canal in a secluded, wooded area along St. Rose Avenue, was identified by her dental records, St. Charles Parish Greg Champagne said at the press conference.
The teen, the daughter of Price and Joe White of Texas, disappeared from her Kenner residence on April 21.
Price identified her daughter based on pink hair curlers she was still wearing when her body was found.
Parish Coroner Brian Brogle and pathologists “were able to provide us with ‘homicidal violence’ as the cause of death this past Friday, April 29,” Champagne said.
A passerby reported her body in an area about a 1/2 mile north of the nearest residences and CN Railroad, and detectives reported her body in an advanced stage of decomposition.
As a former parish resident, Beckley is suspected to have known the area.
Champagne declined to specify the cause of death in the ongoing investigation, but did say evidence was mounting against Beckley. Family members were suspicious of Beckley, he said.
He added several citizens had submitted video from surveillance cameras that has become evidence in the case.
Known for her “infectious smile,” Champagne said White was a well-liked student at Bonnabel High School.
The sheriff praised Price’s assistance in the investigation, disputing comments reportedly made about her on social media.
“Ms. Price, although in a distraught state of mind, has been of great assistance to use since the first instant we were in contact with her,” he said. “She has been completely dedicated in assisting us to bring her daughter’s killer to justice.”
Champagne also thanked lead detective Joseph Dewhirst for his persistent efforts in the investigation, as well as District Attorney Joel Chaisson and first assistant Juan Byrd.
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