ASCENSION PARISH, La. — The man accused of killing five people across two Louisiana parishes sits in a Virginia jail.
Police across much of the country were on the lookout for 21-year-old Dakota Theriot this weekend. He's accused of killing his girlfriend, Summer Ernest, along with her father and brother in Livingston Parish. Deputies say he then drove back to his parents' home in Ascension Parish and killed them.
After the killings, Theriot allegedly ran away to rural Virginia where his grandmother lives. However, police were there waiting for him and caught him as he pulled up to the house.
The question now is, why? While waiting for that answer, Eyewitness News reporters dug through Theriot's past and found a history of violence.
In St. Charles Parish, Theriot had a couple of traffic violations and was arrested in one case in April of 2017.
In that case, Theriot was pulled over by law enforcement and he told them he was in possession of marijuana. When officers asked him to get out of the car, Theriot led them on a car chase but ultimately stopped and pulled over, records show.
Theriot was arrested and booked with several charges including reckless operation of a vehicle, obstruction of justice and possession of Marijuana. However, he ultimately was found guilty of a misdemeanor in the case and was released from prison.
As court hearings went on in that incident, Theriot was also being investigated by Kenner Police after a domestic violence incident was reported by his ex-wife.
In August of 2017, she reported to authorities that they were staying at a friend's apartment when Theriot dragged her out of bed and punched her in the face numerous times. She was significantly hurt in the ordeal.
She also claims he threatened to drive her car into the apartment, but she was able to get her keys from Theriot. He left at one point on foot, but according to the report, he first ripped the side mirrors from her car.
Kenner Police were notified about the incident 11 days after, saying a family member convinced her to report the abuse. A warrant went out for his arrest, and a few weeks later, St. John Parish Sheriff's deputies told Kenner Police they had apprehended Theriot. It's unclear if he was arrested for that warrant or for a separate incident in that parish. A call to the SJPSO hasn't been returned yet.
Theriot also never faced jail time for that domestic violence incident. The district attorney refused charges.
Theriot currently faces multiple charges in Livingston and Ascension Parishes for this shooting case that happened over the weekend. This includes five counts of first-degree murder. He's currently in a jail in Richmond County, Virginia, without bond in isolation. He'll stay there until at least Friday, when his extradition hearing is scheduled. It's possible, depending on how that hearing goes, he could be back in Louisiana that day.
Livingston and Ascension Parish detectives and deputies are also headed that way to interview Theriot about what happened over the weekend, ready to bring him to Ascension Parish first to be booked.
Jade Cunningham can be reached at jcunningham@wwltv.com