An Orleans Parish grand jury returned murder indictments against four men in connection with the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old University of Louisiana at Lafayette student in January.
Alec Billiot of Belle Chasse, along with his brother Arec Billiot, Caidon Fruge, and Tyrin Barraza, are each facing second-degree murder charges in the death of Lee Long, Jr. near an area of Uptown New Orleans bars.
The four face mandatory lifetime prison sentences if found guilty of the murder charges, spokesperson for the District Attorney's Office Ken Daley said in a statement.
Alec Billiot, 22, has been in custody at the Orleans Justice Center jail since his arrest on January 28. According to our media partners at The Advocate, investigators previously said they arrested Alec Billiot after at least one unidentified witness named him as Long's killer. At the time of his arrest, he was serving five years probation on drug charges in Jefferson Parish.The other three were at large when charged by the grand jury Thursday.
New Orleans Police say Alec Billiot and Long knew each other and may have "completed a disputed transaction" just minutes before the shooting. Investigators determined that Long was in the driver's seat of his parked truck along with five female friends when at least one gunman approached the vehicle and fired several shots into the truck.
Long was the only victim struck and he died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. He was in his third year at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette studying architecture after graduating from Archbishop Shaw High School in Marrero, according to The Advocate.
Alec Billiot was also charged with single counts of obstruction of justice in a homicide, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and conspiring to commit an armed robbery with a firearm.
Arec Billiot and Fruge were additionally charged with single counts of conspiracy to commit armed robbery with a firearm; Barraza was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and conspiring to commit an armed robbery with a gun.
Lee Long, Jr. is survived by his parents and a pair of siblings.
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