During the early morning hours of Friday, April 6th, a passerby in the park’s Barataria Unit came upon a young man who appeared to be dead next to a sign near the Kenta Canal picnic area. Arriving rangers and officers determined that the boy, identified as Jazam Williams, 14, of Marrero, Louisiana, had been killed at that location by a shotgun blast to the head earlier that morning. Other serious crimes also occurred in and around the general New Orleans Westbank area at that time. Several people reported being shot at by a man who had attempted to rob them at gunpoint; one had been shot with a shotgun when he told the man that he had no money. At about the same time, another man was killed during a home invasion and a woman was sexually assaulted. Investigation revealed that all the crimes were connected and evidence indicated that they’d been committed by 21-year-old New Orleans resident Terrance “Birdie” Napoleon. Media interest in the crime spree was very high and a caller subsequently notified police that Napoleon had headed to Arizona. Officers there took him into custody. He will be brought back to Louisiana to face numerous charges, including home invasion, armed robbery, and two counts of homicide. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, New Orleans Police Department, and the National Park Service are all actively involved in this multi-jurisdictional investigation.
