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    • Terryon Thomas is now charged with murder in William Abraham’s brutal death
    Albany

    Terryon Thomas is now charged with murder in William Abraham’s brutal death

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

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    A TikTok influencer arrested after a Baton Rouge therapist’s body was found covered in duct tape and a blue tarp along a Louisiana highway last month is now charged with first-degree murder in the case, according to new details in the case show.

    Terryon Thomas, 20, was initially arrested in Texas on Oct. 1 on charges of unauthorized use of a vehicle, aggravated damage to property and resisting arrest in connection with the killing of William Nicholas Abraham, 69, court records show. He was taken into custody after allegedly stealing the victim’s car following the murder.

    Court documents obtained by USA TODAY also show that video surveillance captured Abraham entering Thomas’ apartment the night before his disappearance, and that – not long after – Thomas took what appeared to be a corpse out of the house into Abraham’s car.

    The next day, on Oct. 1, Thomas was also charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice, according to an arrest warrant filed by the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office.

    On Tuesday, after officials told USA TODAY he had been extradited to Louisiana, Thomas appeared in court before East Baton Rouge Parish Commissioner Jermaine Guillory, where prosecutors announced the murder charge had been upgraded to first-degree murder.

    During the hearing, Guillory ordered Thomas held without bail, scheduled a bond hearing in the case for mid-January and appointed Thomas a public defender.

    As of Wednesday, Thomas had not entered a plea in the case, a court clerk told USA TODAY.

    Thomas, who maintains a TikTok profile as Mr. Prada with nearly 4 million followers, remained incarcerated Wednesday at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Savannah Jones said.

    A spokesman for the public defender’s office in Baton Rouge told USA TODAY on Wednesday that they could not comment on the case.

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    A tarp, a body and a stolen car

    The new killing comes after the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office reported that Abraham’s body was found Sept. 29 along Highway 51, about 60 miles northeast of Baton Rouge. The area lies between the unincorporated community of Fluker and the village of Tangipahoa on the state’s southeastern border.

    According to an affidavit, when the blue tarp was cut open, Abraham’s body was found curled up in a gray comforter wrapped with duct tape. A medical examiner determined Abraham died as a result of blunt force trauma, officials said, and classified his death as a homicide.

    That same day, the sheriff’s office learned that the victim’s vehicle was missing – a black Lincoln MKZ – and the following day, on September 29, the car was filmed at a shopping center in Denham Springs, west of Baton Rouge. Investigators reviewed additional footage, the affidavit continues, and saw a person of interest in the case exit the Lincoln and enter the store.

    Law enforcement released photos of the person, and the next day a Baton Rouge Police Department officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle matching the description and the victim’s car about 50 miles from where Abraham’s body was found corresponded.

    According to the warrant, the car’s license plate came back showing the vehicle was stolen, but the driver sped away during the stop, collided with the vehicle and fled on foot.

    The officer later identified Thomas as the man he was looking for.

    Thomas then fled to Texas, police said, and on Oct. 1 he was captured and taken to the Dallas County Jail, online records show.

    He was extradited to Louisiana on Monday, officials told USA TODAY.

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    Suspect’s apartment: evidence of “violent physical altercation”

    It was not immediately known how the two knew each other, but according to Thomas’ affidavit, video surveillance shows the victim entering Thomas’ apartment the night before he was found dead.

    At about 11 p.m. on Sept. 28, a detective wrote in the arrest warrant, Abraham was caught on camera arriving at Thomas’ apartment complex wearing the same clothes he was found dead in the next day.

    Witnesses at the complex also told police they saw Thomas carrying an object wrapped in a blue tarp a few hours after Abraham was last seen, the warrant continued.

    “The defendant appeared to have difficulty dragging the blue tarp down the stairs,” an investigator wrote in the warrant. “The defendant was observed loading the tarp into the victim’s vehicle.”

    During a search warrant for Thomas’ home, the affidavit continues, investigators found evidence of “a violent physical altercation” at the crime scene. Authorities found blood that matched Abraham’s DNA, along with “multiple sharp objects” and other weapons in the home, according to the search warrant.

    After Thomas was taken into custody in Dallas, he refused to talk to investigators, court records show.

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    The victim was a Catholic priest for 11 years

    According to a biography on his website, Abraham was a life coach, licensed professional counselor, motivational speaker, author and more. It was also said that he served as a priest in the Catholic Church for eleven years.

    The sheriff’s office confirmed that the investigation into the motive for Wednesday’s murder was ongoing, and so far there has been no evidence that Thomas was a client of the victim.

    Thomas has two TikTok accounts, including one where he goes by the pseudonym “Mr. Prada 456” appears. The accounts feature colorful posts that include dance, memes, and other social trends.

    In a photo posted last year, the content creator shows himself jokingly practicing his mug shot.

    “I’m practicing for my mugshot because this could be the year someone meets God if they piss me off too much,” the post reads.

    Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.

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    Madoc Meredith
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