Just days after their gruesome murder, the victims of a double homicide in Covington are being remembered as good, loving people.
St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper knew both Father Otis Young and Ruth Prats. He told WWL's Tommy Tucker that they left a lasting legacy on their community.
"He had a heart of service," Cooper said of Father Young, who was Cooper's priest at St. Peter Catholic Church. "He was a pillar of strength for our community and for his church, his congregation, and for the school that he ministered under them, the St. Peter School."
Cooper says Young used his background in accounting and business to help the church prosper.
"He used that in the 10 years that he was assigned to St. Peter to restore, to build, (and) to invest in the church and in the community," Cooper said. "He motivated and inspired the congregation and the parishioners to support all the endeavors and (the) new buildings and new amenities around the church and school."
More than that, Cooper says Young truly was a man of faith who wanted the best for his parish and its people.
"He was just a visionary and just the top of the top for godly leadership in the church."
Cooper said Prats was a mother and grandmother who had just retired.
"She was just a kind, generous, and caring person."
Cooper said Prats served several priests as the church's pastoral associate. He added that Prats continued to serve Father Otis Young after his retirement.
"She and Father Otis were also friends," Cooper said. "She cared for him. They did grocery shopping and such together."
According to Cooper, Father Young and Prats were watching Sunday's Saints game together at her home when they were abducted.
Young's funeral is set for Monday. Arrangements for Prats are still pending.
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