At least four people were found dead and a child was left in critical condition following a stabbing spree near the 200 block of Ashland Drive in Houma, Louisiana on Saturday. Police launched a manhunt for a person of interest before locating him hiding in a shed behind a mobile home.
The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office discovered multiple deceased victims and a juvenile suffering from stab wounds, according to the New York Post. The child was rushed to a hospital in critical condition. An anonymous tip led investigators to 47-year-old Kaegan Jude Solet, a Houma resident who has been arrested several times over the past decade in connection with stabbings, the outlet reports.
A Suspect Who Has Faced These Accusations Before
This is not the first time Solet has been accused of a violent stabbing. In 2019, he was charged with the murder of Kemple Paul Scott Lovell, a homeless man found dead in Houma with several stab wounds, per the same account. Law enforcement records show Lovell's body was found in Houma, which launched a homicide investigation by the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office.
A grand jury declined to indict Solet in that case, citing a lack of evidence, the article notes. The American Press report says at least nine Louisiana grand jurors must concur to return a true bill, and Louisiana grand juries typically consist of 12 members. The Terrebonne Parish grand jury's decision not to indict Solet established that fewer than nine jurors concurred in a true bill, but did not establish that jurors affirmatively found probable cause, according to American Press. Jason Dagate said more information was needed to fully investigate, per the seed report. Solet was never convicted in the case.
The 2019 Red Carpet Inn Attack and a Trial Acquittal
Months after Lovell's death, Solet was charged with attempted second-degree murder over a separate stabbing at a Red Carpet Inn on Bayou Black Drive in Houma in December 2019. Houma Police reported that Solet was an invited guest in a 59-year-old woman's room when an argument turned physical, resulting in multiple stab wounds to her head and upper body before the suspect locked the door and fled, according to WBRZ.
The victim, Cindy Boudreaux, initially accused a man named William Naquin of attacking her before later accusing Solet, per the New York Post's account. Boudreaux said a man attacked her with a wine bottle and stabbed her numerous times, and she was found inside the hotel room gasping for help, saying, “Don't let me die.” Solet said he had been inside the room with Boudreaux the previous night and claimed he was homeless at the time.
Prosecutors presented security camera footage and Solet's DNA as evidence during his trial, but a jury found him not guilty of the attempted murder charge in November 2023, according to the Houma Courier. Under Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:27 and 14:30.1, a conviction for attempted second-degree murder in Louisiana carries a mandatory sentence of 10 to 50 years at hard labor without the benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence, per FindLaw. Solet claimed he was sleeping on the streets on the day of the attack.
Pretrial Appeals and the Path Back Into Custody
Before his 2023 trial, Solet also sought intervention from Louisiana's highest court. State judicial records show the Louisiana Supreme Court declined to consider a supervisory writ application, No. 2023-KH-00176, that Solet submitted in April 2023 because he failed to demonstrate seeking lower court review first, according to the Supreme Court of the State of Louisiana.
A Rare Spike in a Parish With Falling Crime Rates
The scale of Saturday's attack stands out against the parish's broader crime trends. Terrebonne Parish recorded 404 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2022, a 142% decline since 2014, according to Data USA. Houma sits roughly 63 miles outside New Orleans.
The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office is investigating the Ashland Drive killings. Anonymous tips are part of the investigation.
The condition of the critically injured juvenile, the exact relationships between Solet and the victims, and the motive behind the Ashland Drive attacks remain unclear. Solet's status is that of a person of interest as the investigation continues.
