FILE 297 / 2 July 2022 / 65 MIN / express

Hey Jude... Don't Shoot My Mom

St. Martinville, LouisianaListen

The town

N ↑Town centre (approximate places)
Static locations; no street basemap. Places and details. OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap.

This is Saint Martinville, Louisiana. This is south central Louisiana, in the fat part on the bottom. about 0:03:27

History, in brief

Town note

Nicknamed Petit Paris, 'little Paris', because of the town's French heritage.

about 0:05:58

Town note

The Vigilantes on the Bayou event re-enacts a pre-Civil War battle between local farmers and wealthier planters.

about 0:06:19
All 2 history facts

Town note

Nicknamed Petit Paris, 'little Paris', because of the town's French heritage.

about 0:05:58

Town note

The Vigilantes on the Bayou event re-enacts a pre-Civil War battle between local farmers and wealthier planters.

about 0:06:19

The figures, as told

Money

Median home value$133,000
Median household income$27,000 a year
All figures and comparisons, as told in 2022

Population

"5,676"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:03:51

Median household income

"$27,000 a year"

Comparison: "about half the national average". Direction: below.

As told in 2022 about 0:04:04

Share making $30,000 or less

"53%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:04:08

Median home price

"$133,000"

No direction stated.

As told in 2022 about 0:04:14

The reviews

3.7 / 5 · average of 3

4 stars

“A small town where everyone knows one another, with great grocery stores and home-cooked meals, family nearby, no traffic, twenty minutes from Lafayette, good little stores, a public park, a beautiful bayou and lots of history.”
about 0:04:34

3 stars

“Everyone knows each other, so if something happens the whole community will know who did it within days.”
about 0:05:07

4 stars

“A great place; go out and meet your neighbour, because the people are not stuck up.”
about 0:05:20

In Louisiana

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  4. The Man With Two Last MealsIowa, Louisiana · 20 September 2017114 km / 71 miShow on map
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The story

St. Martinville lies in south central Louisiana, in St. Martin Parish, with 5,676 people, a median household income of about $27,000 a year and a median home price of $133,000. Charlotte Perry, 28, lived there with her family. She was leaving him and moving home. Kenneth drove to the trailer to collect her and her belongings. That evening a Vermilion Parish deputy, Stan Swire, found Charlotte's belongings burning in a fire in the front yard.

He pulled a pistol and said he would take care of this shit; Loignon grabbed his hand and the gun went off into the floor. He drove to the Perry house. Theresa Perry, Charlotte's mother, was 49; Kenneth had left, Michael, Charlotte's 17-year-old brother, had come home and Theresa had dozed off. Michael drove to the nearby police station to report a man with a gun, then drove back.

She grabbed her daughter and was dragged with them into the den, where she saw the shotgun. The blast spun her round and she fell face down, her left thumb shot away. Michael had just parked across the street.

Charlotte was dead. Theresa survived with an eight by five inch wound to her right shoulder and her left thumb gone. Michael followed to get the plate number, told his grandfather and drove home to find police at the house. He said he had to get away and had just shot and maybe killed three people. He drank vodka, put a pistol on the coffee table and said he would not be taken alive and knew he would fry for it. He showed Robinson about $9,000 in cash and said he was going to collect his brother and leave the country.

They drove to Lefty's Lounge, where Robinson wrote a note to the bartender, who told him there were off-duty police officers in the bar. A pat-down turned up shotgun shells and nearly $9,000. His defence was that he was drunk.

He remains at Angola.

The case

Murder of Charlotte Perry

Victims

Charlotte Perry (28). ex-girlfriend, shot in her family's yard
Theresa Perry (49). Charlotte's mother, shot in the shoulder and left thumb, survived

Accused and outcomes

As told in the episode, on 2 July 2022.

Accused

Outcome

Other people

Kenneth Perry. Charlotte's father, who collected her from the trailer and called the police
Michael Perry. Charlotte's 17-year-old brother, who reported at the police station and witnessed the shooting
Carol Romero. Charlotte's friend, who found Theresa wounded and saw the shooting
Ian Robinson. English photographer who alerted off-duty police in Metairie
Deputy Stan Swire. Vermilion Parish sheriff's deputy who responded to the trailer fire
Tom Lovis. district attorney's investigator, Theresa Perry's brother-in-law and Charlotte's uncle
Kim Kidd. first defence counsel, a former assistant district attorney
Durand. stepfather, chief deputy in St. Martin Parish

The timeline

  1. March 17, 1990 Charlotte Perry, 28, calls her father Kenneth Perry and says snatched her from work and took her to his trailer ( 's trailer)about 0:11:23
  2. March 17, 1990 Kenneth Perry drives to the trailer in Caplin to collect Charlotte and her belongings ( 's trailer)about 0:16:39
  3. March 17, 1990 invites them to Holly Beach; when they refuse he hurls abuse and says he will kill them both ( 's trailer)about 0:18:45
  4. March 17, 1990 threatens to burn Charlotte's belongings; she and her father leave ( 's trailer)about 0:19:40
  5. March 17, 1990 Kenneth returns for a camera and a dress, sees holding a gun pointed at him, and backs away ( 's trailer)about 0:21:06
  6. March 17, 1990 Deputy Stan Swire finds Charlotte's belongings burning in a small fire in front of the trailer; is gone ( 's trailer)about 0:22:00
  7. April 15, 1990 The Perrys have dinner about 7.30 p.m.; telephones, tells Theresa he loves Charlotte, then threatens Charlotte (Perry house)about 0:31:42
  8. April 15, 1990 Kenneth leaves between 10 and 10.30 p.m.; Michael comes home; Theresa goes to her bedroom and dozes off (Perry house)about 0:33:22
  9. April 15, 1990 Michael hears a knock at the back door and sees there with a pistol-grip shotgun (Perry house)about 0:33:36
  10. April 15, 1990 walks past Michael without a word and shouts for Charlotte (Perry house)about 0:34:15
  11. April 15, 1990 Michael drives to the nearby police station, reports a man with a gun at his house and returns (St. Martinville police station)about 0:34:35
  12. April 15, 1990 Theresa wakes and sees dragging Charlotte down the hallway (Perry house)about 0:35:55
  13. April 15, 1990 Theresa grabs Charlotte and is dragged with them into the den, where she sees the shotgun (Perry house)about 0:36:30
  14. April 15, 1990 puts the shotgun to Theresa's throat; she pushes the barrel towards her shoulder and he fires (Perry house)about 0:36:57
  15. April 15, 1990 The blast spins Theresa round and she falls face down, her left thumb shot away (Perry house)about 0:37:41

Murder of Jasper Fonteneau

Victims

Jasper Fonteneau. bar patron shot three times over a few dollars owed for car repairs

Accused and outcomes

As told in the episode, on 2 July 2022.

Accused

Outcome

Other people

Terry Loignon. owner of the Barn Lounge and eyewitness
Cheryl Oberg. bartender at the Barn Lounge, served a tequila shot

The timeline

  1. April 15, 1990 is seen at the Barn Lounge between 9 and 10 p.m. with his nickel-plated 9mm pistol (Barn Lounge)about 0:24:15
  2. April 15, 1990 Bartender Cheryl Oberg serves him a single tequila shot around 10 p.m. (Barn Lounge)about 0:25:35
  3. April 15, 1990 asks owner Terry Loignon to use the phone at his house next door and comes back ten or fifteen minutes later (Barn Lounge)about 0:27:01
  4. April 15, 1990 pulls out his pistol and says 'I'll take care of this shit'; Loignon grabs his hand and the gun discharges into the floor (Barn Lounge)about 0:27:24
  5. April 15, 1990 pushes Loignon away and shoots Jasper Fonteneau once (Barn Lounge)about 0:28:09
  6. April 15, 1990 shoots Fonteneau two more times, says that wasn't enough, and leaves the bar at about 10 or 10.30 p.m. (Barn Lounge)about 0:28:24
  7. April 15, 1990 Four spent 9mm casings and a bullet are recovered; the lab says all were fired from the same pistol (Barn Lounge)about 0:28:46
  8. April 15, 1990 Cause of death is a single gunshot wound to the chest (Barn Lounge)about 0:28:51
  9. Fonteneau had still owed a few dollars for car repairs done about eighteen months earlierabout 0:41:50

Places and phrases

N ↑Town centre (approximate places)
Static locations; no street basemap. Places and details. OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap.

Places in the story

Public places are marked on the map.

Heard in this episode