ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH, La. — A man who forcibly took a woman from her apartment and put her in the trunk of her car will be charged with first-degree murder after she was found shot to death in a field not too far from the scene, according to Sheriff Mike Tregre.
Corrie Wallace, 37, turned himself in to authorities for the killing of 25-year-old Ja' Riel Sam.
Tregre said that his deputies were first alerted to the case early Sunday morning when they saw Ms. Sam’s crashed vehicle near a car dealership. Her body was found nearby with a gunshot wound to the head.
Tregre said that deputies went to Ms. Sam’s apartment where a four-year-old child was found, traumatized. He said that plenty of bleach and cleaning products had been poured around the apartment in an attempt to cover up the crime.
A crime camera that shoots down into the area helped deputies identify Wallace as a suspect and video there showed that Ms. Sam apparently tried to escape the apartment at least once before being pulled back inside.
Tregre said it is believed that Wallace drove with Sam in the trunk and that somehow she managed to jump out of the vehicle while it was moving. He said that Wallace did the same, with the car eventually crashing into a guardrail near a car dealership.
It is believed at that point that Tregre said Wallace eventually shot Sam in the head and left her for dead.
