John Jefferson
Left: Terryon Thomas (Dallas County Jail). Right: William Abraham (NickAbraham.net). Right background: The stretch of highway where Abraham’s body was found (Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office).
A TikTok star with tens of thousands of followers is behind bars after allegedly killing a therapist and leaving his body wrapped in a blue tarp along the side of a highway, police in Louisiana say.
Terryon Ishmael Thomas, 20, known as “Mr. Prada,” stands accused of one count each of murder in the second degree and obstruction of justice, according to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities allege the defendant killed William Nicholas Abraham, 69, by way of blunt force trauma at an apartment in Baton Rouge late last month. Then, Thomas allegedly secreted the body, albeit haphazardly, using the victim’s own car, to a stretch of tree-lined interstate.
On Sept. 29, at around 8:25 a.m., Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to the scene of a suspicious item found just north of Louisiana Highway 10 along U.S. Route 51 in Fluker — an unincorporated community some 70 miles northeast of Baton Rouge.
“During the initial investigation, TPSO Detectives located a blue tarp on the east side of U.S. Highway 51,” the arrest warrant obtained by Law&Crime reads. “When the item was cut open, the remains of a deceased white adult male were discovered. The body was found to be wrapped in a gray colored comforter with dark-colored duct tape used to wrap around the body. The head of the victim was found to be covered with a dark-colored towel. The victim appeared to have sustained blunt-force trauma to the head.”
Tangipahoa Parish investigators quickly ascertained that Abraham’s 2018 black Lincoln MKZ had gone missing, according to the warrant. A review of surveillance footage showed the car at a shopping center in Denham Springs — a small but fast-growing town some 15 miles due east of Baton Rouge and part of the broader metro area.
Additional surveillance footage showed Thomas exiting the car and inside at least one business at the shopping center, authorities allege. Deputies then advised fellow law enforcement — and the public writ large — to be on the lookout for the car and the defendant.
On Monday, East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office deputies spotted the car and attempted a traffic stop, the warrant says. The driver allegedly gave chase, crashed into another car, and then successfully eluded law enforcement on foot. Then, he was allegedly given a ride back home — to unit 423 at the Citiscape at Essen apartment complex in Baton Rouge.
A search warrant was subsequently obtained for the residence — while a manhunt for the defendant ensued across multiple states.
“Homicide Detectives discovered evidence that indicated a violent physical altercation ensued inside the apartment,” the arrest warrant reads. “A significant amount of blood was observed throughout the apartment, along with multiple sharp objects and other weapons. It should be noted that additional evidence indicated an apparent effort to discard evidence by cleaning the scene.”
A review of surveillance footage from the apartment complex allegedly showed Abraham arriving at around 11 a.m. on Sept. 28. In that footage, the victim was wearing the same clothes as when he was found dead inside the tarp, investigators say.
“According to witnesses, the accused was observed dragging an object wrapped in a blue-colored tarp hours after the victim was last seen alive,” the arrest warrant continues. “Witnesses further informed the accused appeared to be struggling while dragging the blue tarp down the stairs. The accused was observed loading the tarp into the victim’s vehicle.”
Authorities say blood recovered from inside the apartment with cotton swabs was tested by the Louisiana State Police crime lab and that those tests matched Abraham’s “DNA profile.”
Thomas was found and arrested in Dallas, Texas, on Oct. 1 and initially held on an extradition warrant. He was formally accused of murder by the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office late Wednesday evening.
“I appreciate the work done by the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police and Crime Lab, Baton Rouge Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service and all others involved,” East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said in a statement. “This is an ongoing investigation that will take time to gather further evidence. I hope that this arrest may bring some closure and assurance to friends and family.”
Online speculation ran rampant about why the TikTok star allegedly murdered the therapist. Law enforcement disabused rumors that purported Thomas and Abraham had a doctor-patient relationship.
“The relationship of the suspect to the victim and the murder motive are still under investigation,” the sheriff’s office said. “At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that Thomas was a client of Abraham.”
Thomas has yet to be extradited to the Pelican State.
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