The girl was “found badly burned, shot multiple times” in the chest and face, “clinging to life” after a car crash; her mother and the mom’s boyfriend — whose home smelled of “decomposing flesh” — were arrested as the horrifying case unfolded.
A Louisiana woman and her boyfriend are under arrest for inflicting what one investigator described as the “worst” injuries they’ve seen in their “entire career” on a teenage girl.
Latonya Ann Harris, 40, was charged with Attempted First Degree Murder, Second-Degree cruelty to a juvenile, and Domestic Abuse Battery Child Endangerment for crimes against her own daughter, an unnamed 15-year-old girl.
Her boyfriend, Terrence Washington, also faces charges of Attempted First Degree Murder, Second-Degree Cruelty to a juvenile, Obstruction of Justice, Molestation of a juvenile, 3 counts of Indecent Behavior with a juvenile, and 5 counts of 2nd Degree Rape.
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On April 21, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office says they “learned of a 15-year-old victim who was found badly burned, shot multiple times, but still clinging to life,” following a car crash in Baytown, TX around 11pm the night prior.
Washington was allegedly “driving recklessly” and crashed on a service road, before responding officers found him “holding a firearm” when they got to the scene. He was taken into custody, while several other occupants — including the victim, another child and Harris — were found in the vehicle.
“Due to the obvious severity of the victim’s injuries, she was transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment,” reads the release, where medical staff then “discovered the gruesome extent of burns to the upper body of the victim, along with the discovery of gunshot wounds to the victim’s chest and face.”
Added TPSO: “An Investigator with the Baytown Police Department described the injuries to the victim as the worst she has seen in her entire career.”
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Washington allegedly told officers he’s the one who shot the victim during a fight with the girl’s mother at their Louisiana home. He also allegedly “admitted to being responsible for sexual abuse of the victim, which lasted numerous months prior to the victim’s injuries.” In a followup interview, per the Sheriff’s Office, Washington said his gun “went off and shot the victim in the face” on April 19 and, of the burns to the teenager’s body, said Harris was responsible for causing them in February.
“Washington stated that the victim was burned after Harris learned of the sexual abuse with the victim, who she blamed for the encounters,” said authorities. “Washington confirmed that the victim’s injuries were treated at home by Harris, who refused to obtain medical treatment for the victim.”
The minor child in the car was also interviewed and said that “during the Mardi Gras season,” she woke up “to the sight of the victim’s body on fire, as Latonya Harris stood over her bed with a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a lighter.” In the same interview, “SVU Detectives also listened to gruesome details of the victim being shot on two separate days within the home, which went untreated as the family travelled to Texas.”
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During a search of the family’s home, “detectives discovered evidence to confirm that a weapon was shot inside the home, and in addition to blood evidence, the strong odor of infection and decomposing flesh could be smelled.”
While Washington allegedly spoke with authorities, TPSO says Harris “refused to speak” with detectives.
“This is the type of case that is not only difficult to deal with the circumstances, but hard to imagine the level of violence and evil that can occur at the hands of a human being,” said Sheriff Tim Soignet in a statement. “I can’t begin to express how grateful I am to have these extremely violent offenders in custody, and off of our streets.”
“Our Detectives have worked tirelessly since learning of the incident, in hopes of protecting an innocent young lady from further torture and abuse,” he added.
Harris remains jailed at Terrebonne Parish Criminal Justice Complex on $1 million bond. Washington, meanwhile, will be remanded to the custody of the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office at a later date, as he remains behind bars in Texas “on charges connected to crimes” in the state.
The investigation remains ongoing.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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