A Louisiana man accused of killing five people Saturday was arrested Sunday at his grandmother's Virginia home, authorities said.
According to The Associated Press, authorities will bring Dakota Theriot, 21, back to Ascension Parish, Louisiana, where he faces first-degree murder, home invasion and weapons charges.
Here's what we know about the suspect:
1. He is accused of killing his parents, as well as a woman believed to be his girlfriend, her father and her brother on Saturday in Louisiana. Deputies said Theriot shot and killed Summer Ernest, 20, whom he had been dating; Billy Ernest, 43; and Tanner Ernest, 17, in Livingston Parish, the AP reported. He then stole the elder Ernest's pickup truck and drove it to Ascension Parish, where he fatally shot his parents, Keith and Elizabeth Theriot, both 50, in their trailer, authorities said. After the rampage, Theriot fled in the stolen pickup, a 2004 Dodge Ram, deputies said.
2. Theriot's father was still alive when deputies arrived at the scene. Keith Theriot "was gravely injured at the time we found him and has since passed away," said Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre, according to the AP. The victim reportedly gave deputies a "dying declaration" that his son was responsible for the shooting.
3. Authorities were already there Sunday when Theriot arrived at his grandmother's home in Warsaw, Virginia. According to the AP, Theriot's grandmother fled her home Saturday after learning of the shootings, stayed at a hotel, and asked deputies to check her property Sunday morning. After authorities responded, Theriot drove up to the home and pointed a gun out of the window of the truck, authorities said. He surrendered and "was arrested without incident," the AP reported.
4. Theriot reportedly had a troubled relationship with his parents. Kim Mincks and Jacob Chastant, who lived with Theriot's parents, said Theriot once threatened his mother with a gun and had a "violent streak," according to the AP.
5. Family friends said Theriot used drugs. "He got kicked out [of his parents' trailer] last Monday because of the drug problem," Mincks told the AP. "His dad kicked him out of here."
– The Associated Press contributed to this report.
About the Author