Report: Guard kills wife, self

Second East Carroll officer accused of murder in six months By Stephen Largen slargen@monroe.gannett.com An East Carroll Parish Detention Center guard reportedly shot and killed his wife and then himself Sunday afternoon in their Lake Providence home, according to the East Carroll Parish Sheriff's Office and state police. Michael Thompson, 41, and his wife, Diane Thompson, 33, who was also employed at the jail, were found Sunday afternoon at their home in the 1400 block of St. Louis Avenue. Sheriff's office spokesman Brandon Wiltcher said family members who were visiting the couple saw them get into a physical altercation outside the home before Michael Thompson pulled out a pistol and forced his wife inside the home. The family members reportedly ran to a nearby home to call 9-1-1 because they did not have a cellular telephone. When emergency officials arrived on the scene, the couple was already dead, Wiltcher said. Michael Thompson is the second East Carroll Parish correctional officer to be accused of killing his wife in less than six months. Larry Rushing, 47, of Lake Providence, was arrested Jan. 27 and faces second-degree murder charges in connection with the death of his wife, 44-year-old LaDonna Douglas. Rushing and Douglas also worked at the same jail, Riverbend Detention Center. Rushing worked in the men's section and Douglas in the women's section. In late March, four detention center guards were arrested and charged with malfeasance in office and introducing contraband into a penal facility. Wiltcher said Michael Thompson had worked at the jail for more than 10 years and had reached the rank of captain, one of the highest ranks in the system. Diane Thompson had worked at the jail as a transportation officer for at least three years. Wiltcher said there was no history of domestic violence between the couple and neither had any criminal history. People who apply for correctional officer positions in East Carroll Parish are given criminal background checks, but are not required to undergo psychological evaluation unless the sheriff or jail warden deem it necessary, Wiltcher said. "The two murders are obviously a concern to the sheriff and all of us," he said.