A popular TikTok creator has been charged with second degree murder in the death of a 69-year-old Louisiana therapist.
Terryon Thomas, also known as Mr Prada to his 4.3 million followers, was arrested in Dallas, Texas on Tuesday afternoon after he was allegedly seen driving a stolen car that police said belonged to William Abraham, the therapist.
Mr Abraham’s body was found wrapped in a tarp on Sunday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Police said he died from blunt force trauma to the head, describing it as a “very physical, very violent death”.
Mr Thomas, 20, has been charged with second degree murder and obstruction of justice, according to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, and is in custody in Dallas, Texas awaiting extradition to Louisiana.
“This is an ongoing investigation that will take time to gather further evidence,” Casey Hicks of the East Baton Rouge’s Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
“I hope that this arrest may bring some closure and assurance to friends and family,” she said.
Mr Abraham’s body was found in a blue tarp on the east side of US Highway 51 on Sunday, police said, adding that they later discovered his car had been missing.
Police said they later uncovered surveillance footage that purportedly identified Mr Thomas as the last person seen driving the therapist’s vehicle.
They then attempted a traffic stop on Mr Thomas, but he allegedly resisted arrest, backed up into the officers’ car and fled.
Police searched Mr Thomas’ apartment in Baton Rouge, where they allegedly found evidence of a “violent physical altercation” and “a significant amount of blood” and unspecified weapons.
They added that witnesses allegedly saw Mr Thomas dragging “an object wrapped in a blue-coloured tarp” into the therapist’s car on Saturday, 28 September, the day before Mr Abraham’s body was found.
Police said video surveillance footage also apparently showed Mr Abraham arriving earlier that day at the apartment complex where Mr Thomas lived, wearing the same clothes that his deceased body had been found in.
Police did not specify how Mr Thomas and Mr Abraham knew each other, or if Mr Thomas was a client of the therapist.
Mr Thomas is well-known on the social media app TikTok, where he posts videos for millions of mostly Gen Z followers with commentary on school, relationships and trends.
According to Mr Abraham’s obituary, the victim was a “licensed professional counsellor, motivational speaker, recording artist, author and teacher”. He was also a former Catholic priest who had regular appearances on local television in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
BBC