ELIZABETH FONTENOT - 18 yo (2010) - Evangeline (W of Lafayette) LA

The body of a missing teenager has been found near Ville Platte, and a
Texas fugitive wanted on capital murder charges has been arrested.
State Police Troop I, which is handling the case, will not say if the
two incidents are related but Wednesday identified the victim as
18-year-old Elizabeth Fontenot, who had been missing since Monday.This case began about
10 p.m. Monday when the Evangeline Parish Sheriff's Office received a
call from a member of Fontenot's family reporting she hadn't returned
home.Shortly
after midnight, the Ville Platte Fire Department reported finding her
green Mustang on fire near the Kennedy Subdivision on Junk Pile Road.The family's fears
were confirmed about 4 p.m. Tuesday when her body was found in a barn on
Dairy Lane, about a mile away. Most of her clothing was missing.While a great deal of
blood was found at the scene, police said they are awaiting the results
of an autopsy to determine the exact cause of her death.At the same time as the search for Fontenot was under
way, about 50 other officers werefanning out throughout Ville Platte on the trail of
two fugitives from Texas who were believed to be in the area.Trooper Stephen Hammons
with State Police Troop I said Wednesday that one of the men,
18-year-old Diamond Markee Godfrey of Dayton, Texas, is now in custody."Detectives and
troopers with Louisiana State Police Region 2, along with State Police
SWAT personnel and the Evangeline Parish Sheriff's Office, were able to
take Godfrey into custody about 1:15 a.m. Wednesday," Hammons said.
"Godfrey was a fugitive from Harris County, Texas, where he was wanted
for shooting and killing a man during an armed robbery on April 29."Godfrey was raised in
the Ville Platte area, and he still has friends and relatives in the
community.Hammons
said, with a massive manhunt under way for him, Godfrey eventually
called Evangeline Parish 911 to say he wanted to surrender."Godfrey was located on
Martin Luther King Drive in Ville Platte and taken into custody without
incident. He was booked into the Evangeline Parish Correctional
Center," Hammons said.Godfrey
is now awaiting extradition to Texas.There is no word on the whereabouts of 19-year-old
Damion Demond Mann, also of the Houston area, who is wanted in
connection with the same shooting.Hammons asked anyone with information about Fontenot's
death to contact State Police at 337-262-3341.

State police say they believe 18-year-old Elizabeth Fontenot, whose body
was found near Ville Platte on Tuesday, was murdered.
"We are still awaiting the results of the autopsy, but we are
investigating this as a homicide," said Trooper Stephen Hammons with Troop I.
The autopsy is being conducted by the Calcasieu Parish Coroner's Office.
Fontenot was reported missing Monday evening.
Shortly after midnight, the Ville Platte Fire Department found her green
Mustang on fire near the Belaire Cove community.
Her partially clothed body was found about 4 p.m. Tuesday in a field about a mile away.
Hammons urged anyone with information about this case to call State Police at 337-262-3341.

Funeral services for Fontenot will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ville Platte at noon
Saturday with burial to follow in the Belaire Cove Cemetery.

As for the public's concern that her death may be linked to a Texas
fugitive who was arrested in Ville Platte this week, Hammons said there
is no connection.

"They were just two events that happened to be
taking place in the same area at the same time," Hammons said.

Eighteen-year-old Diamond Markee Godfrey of Dayton, Texas, who is wanted in connection
with a Houston-area murder, was arrested early Wednesday in Ville Platte
following a massive manhunt involving city, parish and state law
enforcement.

That manhunt was launched after police received a
tip that Godfrey, who grew up in Ville Platte and still has relatives
and friends in the community, had been seen in the area.

Godfrey, who is now awaiting extradition to Texas, has been charged with capital
murder in connection with the

April 30 shooting of Robert Butler Sr. in northeast Houston.

According to Houston police detectives, Butler, 57, was a long-haul trucker who was parking his rig
about 10:30 that evening when he was approached by two young men who
then shot him in the face.

Butler died of his injuries a few days later. Police say they believe Godfrey was the triggerman in that
shooting.

Police are also seeking Damion Demond Mann, 19, also of
the Houston area, who they believe was also involved in that incident.

Mann has not been charged in the slaying but is considered a "person of
interest," police said.

Mann, who is also believed to have
traveled to the Ville Platte area, is described as a black male, 6 feet 1
inch tall and weighing about 180 pounds with short black hair.

His whereabouts remain unknown and anyone with information is urged to call
the Houston Police Department Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or the
Houston-area Crime Stoppers program at 713-222-TIPS.

Evangeline Parish Sheriff Eddie Soileau praised the cooperation of area law
enforcement agencies.

"This is just another indicator of the cooperation between my office, the Ville Platte Police Department, the
Opelousas Police Department and Louisiana State Police to provide law
enforcement services to the citizens of Evangeline Parish and Ville Platte," Soileau said.

A Ville Platte man has been arrested in connection with last week's
killing of an area teenager.
Currently being held in the Evangeline Parish Jail is Ordesto M.
Toussaint, 34, charged with second-degree murder in
connection with the May 11 death of 18-year-old Elizabeth Fontenot.Authorities said they
were looking at "two persons of interest" earlier this week and state
police Trooper Stephen Hammons said Toussaint was taken into custody for
questioning late Tuesday and a formal warrant for his arrest was issued
Wednesday morning.Hammons
said the case remains under investigation."At this time, we are not ruling out the possibility
that there may be other suspects involved in the matter," he said.Hammons said an autopsy
determined that Fontenot died of blunt-force trauma and, based on the
physical and forensic evidence gathered at the scene of her death, he
said investigators were able to identify Toussaint as a suspect."State police
detectives, as well as investigators from the Evangeline Parish
Sheriff's Office and officers with the Ville Platte Police Department,
have worked tirelessly over the last week to locate the person or
persons responsible for this death," Hammons said.Fontenot was reported missing by family members on
the evening of May 10. Shortly after midnight, the Ville Platte Fire
Department found her green Mustang on fire near the Belaire Cove
community.Her
partially clothed body would be found about 4 p.m. the next day in a
field about a mile away.

A Ville Platte man has been indicted for second-degree murder in the
killing of a young woman in May.
A grand jury believes there is
adequate evidence to try Ordesto Toussaint, 34, in the death of
Elizabeth Fontenot, 18, of Ville Platte.
Her body was found on Dairy Lane in Ville Platte after she had been reported missing a day earlier.
Her burned car was found late the night before.
She was killed on or about May 11, according to the indictment.
At one time, police thought her death perhaps tied to two Texas fugitives
hiding in the parish, but that turned out not to be the case.
Authorities have not yet revealed any details of circumstances allegedly leading up
to the woman's murder.
The grand jury also returned true bills against Toussaint on the charges of
simple arson and theft of a motor vehicle.

Toussaint pleaded not guilty Thursday, July 8, before
Judge Thomas F. Fuselier, who set trial for Nov. 29.

Second-degree murder trial underway in Evangeline Parish this week

The second-degree murder trial of Ordesto Toussaint, 34, began Tuesday, April 5. Toussaint is charged with the murder of Elizabeth Fontenot, 18, on May 11, 2010.

Fontenot’s vehicle and body were found May 11, 2010, in different locations. Her car, which was set on fire, was found near Pine Point Road, and her body was found on Dairy Lane.

Louisiana State Police State Trooper Stephen Bruner, criminal investigator, oversaw the investigation and interrogated Toussaint during his arrest. Bruner was called to the stand on the first day of trial and testified that initially Toussaint denied any involvement in the murder or even knowing the victim. However, after extensive investigation that eliminated all of Toussaint’s stories, Bruner said Toussaint finally confessed to the crime, stating he hit Fontenot on the head with a cinder block twice.

Defense attorney Alex Chapman, argued Toussaint only confessed after being threatened and having his family threatened. Using a transcript of the interviews, Chapman said Bruner stated Toussaint needed to tell the truth and “not put his family through this bull...” Chapman told Bruner that sounded like a threat to Toussaint’s family.

Bruner also testified that results from the Acadiana Crime Lab indicated the DNA of two people were found on the cinder block. The DNA was confirmed to belong to Fontenot, who was the major contributor (meaning most of the DNA belonged to her), and Toussaint, who was the minor contributor.

Other law enforcement officials involved in the case also testified during the first day of trial.

In addition to the charge of second-degree murder, Toussaint is being charged with simple arson and theft of a motor vehicle.

On the second day of trial, Wednesday, April 6, the prosecution continued to call its witnesses, including Andrew Ingram, a forensic scientist at the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab. Ingram confirmed it appeared Fontenot was the major contributor of DNA on the cinder block and Toussaint was the minor contributor. However, he stated he cannot say definitively that it is their combined DNA, but tests showed their DNA could not be eliminated as the source. All other DNA swabs submitted to the crime lab were eliminated as sources after testing. These included DNA swabs of all other suspects in the case.

Assistant district attorneys Marcus Fontenot and Shelley DeVille are serving as prosecutors in the case, which is expected to last all week

Read more: EvangelineToday.com - Second degree murder trial underway in Evangeline Parish this week
http://www.villeplattetoday.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Second-degree+murder+trial+underway+in+Evangeline+Parish+this+week%20&id=12653801&instance=home_news_lead

Defense argues accused murderer's confession is questionable
Eunice Today.Com
28 days ago

VILLE PLATTE – A state witness testified Tuesday at Ordesto Toussaint, 34, confessed to killing Elizabeth Fontenot, 18, on May 11, 2010.

Fontenot’s vehicle and body were found May 11, 2010, in different locations. Her car, which was set on fire, was found near Pine Point Road, and her body was found on Dairy Lane.

Louisiana State Police State Trooper Stephen Bruner, criminal investigator, oversaw the investigation and interrogated Toussaint during his arrest.

Bruner was called to the stand on the first day of trial and testified that initially Toussaint denied any involvement in the murder or even knowing the victim.

However, after extensive investigation that eliminated all of Toussaint’s stories, Bruner said Toussaint finally confessed to the crime, stating he hit Fontenot on the head with a cinder block twice.

Defense attorney Alex Chapman, argued Toussaint only confessed after being threatened and having his family threatened.

Using a transcript of the interviews, Chapman said Bruner stated Toussaint needed to tell the truth and “not put his family through this bull...” Chapman told Bruner that sounded like a threat to Toussaint’s family.

Bruner also testified that results from the Acadiana Crime Lab indicated the DNA of two people were found on the cinder block.

The DNA was confirmed to belong to Fontenot, who was the major contributor (meaning most of the DNA belonged to her), and Toussaint, who was the minor contributor.

Other law enforcement officials involved in the case also testified during the first day of trial. The trial continues today, April 6, with the prosecution calling more witnesses.

Toussaint was indicted on the charge of second-degree murder on July 6, 2010, by the grand jury. The grand jury also returned true bills against him on the charges of simple arson and theft of a motor vehicle.

http://www.techetoday.com/view/full_story/12655193/article-Defense-argues-accused-murderer-s-confession-is-questionable?instance=secondary_news_left_column

Toussaint Found Guilty of Murder
Posted: Apr 8, 2011 12:24 PM by Tonya LaCoste
Updated: Apr 8, 2011 12:32 PM

Murder Trial Twist: Defendant Wants New Attorney
In Evangeline Parish, a jury found 34-year-old Ordesto Toussaint guilty of killing 18-year-old Elizabeth Fontenot in May, 2010. Toussaint killed Fontenot with a cinder block, and left her body in a field and torched her car. Toussaint will be sentenced May 19.