BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Terryon Ishmael Thomas, 20, of Baton Rouge, was charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice, according to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office.
EBRSO said they took over the investigation "after discovering evidence in East Baton Rouge Parish consistent with foul play."
Thomas was booked into prison in Texas on Tuesday, Oct. 1. EBRSO said he "is currently in custody in Dallas." He was initially charged with aggravated criminal damage to property, resisting an officer and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
The body of 69-year-old William Nicholas Abraham, of Baton Rouge, was found inside a tarp in Tangipahoa Parish on Sunday.
A person of interest, identified as Thomas, was accused of driving the Baton Rouge therapist's car and crashing it into a police cruiser. Thomas was identified online by people who recognized him as Mr. Prada, a popular TikTok user with millions of followers on multiple accounts.
An arrest warrant was later issued for Thomas.
Following the chase in Baton Rouge, investigators found out Thomas got a ride to his apartment in Baton Rouge.
After obtaining a search warrant for the residence, they found signs of a struggle and took blood swabs for analysis, according to a warrant for his arrest issued late Oct. 2.
Surveillance video showed Abraham entering the apartment complex alive around 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28. Later, Thomas was seen on video struggling to drag a tarp to Abraham's car, according to the warrant.
"The relationship of the suspect to the victim and the murder motive are still under investigation. At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that Thomas was a client of Abraham. ," EBRSO said in a news release.
Thomas will be extradited to East Baton Rouge Parish later, EBRSO said.
The investigation remains ongoing, and more information will be shared as it becomes available.
"I appreciate the work done by the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, Louisiana State Police and Crime Lab, Baton Rouge Police Department, U.S. Marshal's Service and all others involved," Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said. "This is an ongoing investigation that will take time to gather further evidence. I hope that this arrest may bring some closure and assurance to friends and family."
