An 11-year-old boy is facing murder charges after he confessed to fatally shooting an 82-year-old relative who once served as mayor of a small Louisiana town and the man’s grown daughter over the weekend, police said Tuesday.
The older victim, Joe Cornelius Sr., a city councilman who briefly served as mayor of Minden, about 25 miles east of Shreveport, was shot to death Sunday along with his daughter Keisha Miles, 31, at his home. .
The boy has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and is being held on $500,000 bail, Minden Police Department Chief Jared McIver said at a news conference Tuesday. The police chief did not release the boy’s name, nor did he reveal the exact nature of the boy’s relationship to the victims, citing his age. But he confirmed that the boy was related to the victims.
Police believe the boy acted alone and used two firearms that were recovered at the scene, Chief McIver said. He said the investigation is ongoing and the police are yet to ascertain the cause of the fatal attack.
“Who knows why someone would do something this malicious – and at that age,” Chief McIver said. “We are putting everything together and hopefully very soon we will have all the answers – more answers – to the ‘why’.”
A spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office serving Webster Parish said it was not yet clear whether the boy would be prosecuted as an adult. It is unclear if the boy is currently represented by a lawyer. The local public defender’s office said it did not yet know whether the boy would be arraigned by that office.
News of the double murder shocked residents in Minden, a city of about 11,500 people, many of whom knew Mr. Cornelius.
A longtime city councilman, Mr. Cornelius was briefly appointed mayor of Minden in 2013 after the mayor died in office. He was also a former sheriff’s deputy and marshal. According to The Associated Press, Mr. Cornelius also worked at a funeral home and ran programs for youth and helped organize local black history events.
On social media, Mr. Cornelius was remembered by his nicknames, “Mr. Joe” and “Ice Cream Joe.” Neighbors and friends said they knew he was coming when they heard the music coming from his ice cream truck, and he often gave free ice cream to children who couldn’t afford it.
Officers responded to a 911 call around 6:30 a.m. Sunday and found Mr. Cornelius and Ms. Miles dead from multiple gunshot wounds, the police chief said Tuesday.
Police found an 11-year-old boy at the scene. The police chief said “the teenager initially gave us a story that just didn’t add up” but later that day, in an interview with detectives in which an adult family member was present, he confessed to killing both victims. .
Police recovered two weapons from the property, and their calibers matched empty shell casings found at the scene, Chief McIver said.
The police chief declined to answer questions about who owned the guns or how the boy was able to obtain them.
At the news conference, Minden’s current mayor, Nick Cox, said, “Joe Cornelius was more than just a public servant.” He added: “Joe’s efforts to improve will have left a lasting impact that will be remembered for years to come.“
“It’s just a shock to the community,” the police chief said of the suspect’s age. But the crime itself is also shocking, he said, because the elderly victim was so beloved by her community.
“Everybody knew Mr Joe, and that’s what hurts the most,” Mr Cox said. “When you know someone who has been in the community for so long, who has reached so many people, it hurts.”
Christine Hauser contributed reporting.
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