A Thibodaux couple has been charged with attempted murder and cruelty to a juvenile after taking a 15-year-old on a road trip to Texas as she suffered from gunshot wounds and burns.
The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office says it was notified April 21 about an investigation in Baytown, Texas when a 15-year-old girls was discovered badly burn, shot multiple times yet somehow still alive, after a car crash in Baytown the night before.
"TPSO Detectives learned from Investigators with Baytown that complaints were received in their jurisdiction in regard to a vehicle driving recklessly on I-10 East, which ultimately crashed on a service road," the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office said in a news release. "When Officers responded to the scene, they found the vehicle to be occupied, and encountered the male driver, later identified as Terrence Washington, to be holding a firearm."
Authorities say Washington dropped the weapon, and when responders found the 15-year-old among the other occupants of the vehicle, they immediately took her to a nearby hospital.
"It was at that time, medical staff discovered the gruesome extent of burns to the upper body of the victim, along with the discovery of gunshot wounds to the victim’s chest and face," the sheriff's office said.
According to detectives, Washington admitted during questioning that he had shot the teen during a disturbance with the his girlfriend, Latonya Harris, who is the child's mother, at their home in Thibodaux. Investigators said Washington also admitted to sexually abusing the girl.
Further investigation revealed that Harris was attempting to treat the gunshot wounds herself, the sheriff's office said.
The detectives say Harris was also responsible for burning the teenager, saying Washington told them during an interview that Harris blamed the girl for Washington's sexual abuse.
Investigators say Washington said the burning incident and the shooting both occurred before the family left for Texas.
"This is the type of case that is not only difficult to deal with the circumstances, but hard to imagine the level of violence and evil that can occur at the hands of a human being," said Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Tim Soignet. "This investigation doesn’t stop with the arrest process. Our Detectives will continue to investigate this very complex case, to ensure that these violators remain jailed for a very long time."
