Virginia Authorities Nab Man Accused of Killing 5 in Louisiana

Virginia Authorities Nab Man Accused of Killing 5 in Louisiana
Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office

The nationwide manhunt for an accused killer is now over.

The nationwide manhunt for an accused killer is now over.

Authorities caught Dakota Theroit in Richmond County, Virginia, miles from home.The announcement was made in a joint statement between the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office  and Livingston County Sheriff's Office.

Theroit is accused of killing five people during a shooting spree Saturday outside Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The victims include Theroit’s parents, Elizabeth and Keith Theriot, both 50. The other three victims were identified as his girlfriend, 20-year-old Summer Ernest, her brother, Tanner Ernest, 17, and father Billy Ernest, 43. Before Keith died, authorities said he identified his son as the shooter to police.

Officials say they caught the 21-year-old because he was known to have family ties to Virginia, prompting local deputies to begin checking places they thought he’d be.

At the same time, police got a call from Theroit’s grandmother to check on her home. She’d decided to stay in a motel the night before, fearful her grandson might be heading in her direction.

There, in front of her house on Historyland Highway, authorities said they found Theroit, sitting in his car pointing a gun out of the window.

Authorities said he will be taken back to Louisiana, where he faces charges including two counts of first-degree murder, home invasion,and illegal use of weapons.

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