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Bail reduction denied for teens accused of carjacking, dragging woman to death

Linda Frickey died from 'blunt force injuries' after she was dragged to her death by her own car earlier this year.

NEW ORLEANS — Four teenagers booked with murder in the violent carjacking of 73-year-old Linda Frickey were denied bail reductions on Friday. They will remain jailed on a $1 million bond.

Frickey died from 'blunt force injuries' after she was dragged to her death by her own car earlier this year. Authorities say Frickey was beaten and then became entangled in a seatbelt as carjackers sped away with her car. Her arm was severed after she was dragged about a block away while neighbors looked on helplessly.

The New Orleans Police Department arrested four teens hours after the carjacking. Two of the teens were turned in police custody by their parents. All four face second-degree murder charges.

The defendants are:

  • 17-year-old John Honore
  • 16-year-old Briniyah Baker
  • 15-year-old Lenyra Theophile
  • 15-year-old Mar'Qel Curtis

At Friday’s hearing, the lead homicide detective in the Frickey case testified about the apparent actions of each of the teenaged defendants during the crime, largely based on video footage from several different security cameras.

Honore is seen as the primary aggressor, pulling Frickey from the driver’s seat and tussling with her as he gets in and drives away, dragging Frickey alongside the car, the detective testified.

Theophile appears to be getting into Frickey’s car from the front passenger side. “She appeared to be pushing or striking the victim” as she leaned into the car, he said. She was referred to as Honore’s girlfriend and she was identified by her nickname “Nyra.”

Curtis appeared to be some distance from the car as it was being taken and appeared to act as a “lookout,” the detective testified. She does not get in the car as it pulls off, but flees on foot toward Bienville Street.

Baker is seen getting into the back seat of the car as Honore drives away, the detective said.

District Attorney Jason Williams transferred the case from juvenile court, where the steepest sentences could have held the defendants until they were 21. Now they face life in prison with parole eligibility after 25 years if convicted as charged of second-degree murder.

While the female defendants have little or no criminal records, an exclusive WWL-TV investigation revealed that Honore had at least 25 prior charges stemming from seven prior juvenile arrests, including an aggravated burglary case that was transferred to adult court but later dismissed. 

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