Coteau, LA: Murder suspect killed

BY JIM MUSTIAN
THE DAILY IBERIAN
The hunt for an alleged killer ended violently late Friday after lawmen gunned down 34-year-old Jonathan Scott Latham in Breaux Bridge. Latham, wanted for rape and murder in Iberia Parish and attempted murder in Vermilion Parish, reportedly sought to hide from the law in a crackhouse on Alva Drive near downtown.

Officials from several law enforcement agencies blocked off the road about 11:30 p.m. after investigators confirmed Latham’s whereabouts through confidential informants. After entering the house, officials “heard what appeared to be a gun shot and returned gun fire,” said Trooper David Anderson, a spokesman for the Louisiana State Police, which is investigating the shooting.

Anderson said it was not clear which agency was responsible for the shooting or how many shots were fired. St. Martin Parish Sheriff Ronnie Theriot declined to comment on the shooting.

The hunt for Latham, a convicted felon with an extensive criminal record, began late Thursday after he reportedly cut the throat of his girlfriend’s 17-year-old son at their mobile home in Erath. The victim of that attack was treated for his injuries and released Friday from a local hospital.

Several hours later in Coteau, Latham reportedly killed his girlfriend’s grandfather, 78-year-old Oscar E. Figueroa Sr., and raped and beat the man’s 11-year-old great-granddaughter in their house on Fremin Road.

The girl survived the attack and telephoned authorities, running out into the driveway when deputies arrived before 7 a.m., said Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal. She was taken to a Lafayette hospital with serious injuries. Ackal said Saturday the girl was on a ventilator.

Latham, meanwhile, fled the scene in Figueroa’s car, trading it for the vehicle he reportedly stole in Vermilion Parish the night before.

The motive for Latham’s alleged rampage remained unclear, but authorities, as well as the man’s neighbors in Erath, said he had been under the influence of drugs since Thursday. Latham also was laid off from his offshore job recently and behind on rent, said his landlord, Keith Hebert.

The bloodshed in Coteau shocked many residents who looked on nervously Friday morning as officials investigated the crime scene at the pink house on Fremin Road. Neighbor David Guidry said the area has experienced a rash of criminal activity of late, including at least one break-in earlier in the week.

“I don’t even want to go outside at night anymore,” Guidry said. “This is too close to home for me.”

Family members stood outside crying in disbelief.

“I just lost my mother a year ago,” said Figueroa’s oldest daughter Josie. “He was one of the best people I’ve ever known. You won’t find anyone who won’t say that about him.”