A popular TikTok creator who goes by the name Mr. Prada has been charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice in Louisiana, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s office confirmed, in connection to the death of a therapist whose body was found on the side of a highway over the weekend.
Key Takeaways
- Terryon Thomas, 20, was arrested in Dallas on Tuesday after he was allegedly seen driving the stolen car of the victim, 69-year-old William Abraham, more than 500 miles from where his body was found.
- Abraham was found dead and wrapped in a tarp on the side of a highway near Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, about 60 miles north of New Orleans, on Sunday, and local authorities said he was killed by blunt force trauma in a “very physical and very violent attack.”
- In the course of its homicide investigation, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s office said it found evidence indicating a violent struggle had taken place inside Thomas’s home, including the discovery of “a significant amount of blood” and “multiple sharp objects and other weapons,” NBC News reported.
- Witnesses allegedly told police they’d seen Thomas dragging “an object wrapped in a blue-colored tarp” into the therapist’s car, according to the BBC, and surveillance footage showed Abraham visiting Thomas’s home in the same clothes he would later be found dead in.
- Authorities have not said how they believe Thomas and Abraham were known to each other, other than to say it does not appear Thomas was a client of Abraham.
- Representatives for Thomas did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment Thursday.
Key Background
Thomas has more than 4 million followers on TikTok, where he posts comedy videos. He’s operated under several different TikTok handles after various accounts have been banned for allegedly stealing the content of other creators.
Since his arrest on Tuesday, no videos have been posted to any of the accounts associated with the creator. Several now-viral videos from other TikTok users dissecting the case have been posted speculating on the relationship between Thomas and Abraham.
Internet sleuths have claimed Thomas was connected to a 2015 arrest of Abraham in which he was accused of inappropriately touching an 11-year-old client, but a former attorney for the therapist told NBC News Thomas was not the boy involved in the prior case (Abraham was never formally charged).
This article was originally published on forbes.com and all figures are in USD.
