A New Orleans man is back in court this week facing second-degree murder and feticide charges in the 2019 shooting death of a pregnant woman struck by stray bullets inside her own home. Zachery Holmes, 36, previously stood trial on the same charges in September 2022, but that proceeding ended when a jury deadlocked and a judge dismissed the panel without a verdict.
Tychelle Ridgley, 28, was eight months pregnant and had already named her unborn child, Me'Lo Alexander, when she was killed on August 21, 2019, according to The Black Femicide Prevention Coalition. Bullets traveled through the front door and struck Ridgley inside her home, according to WWLTV.com, which reports the trial is taking place this week. Holmes is charged with second-degree murder, second-degree feticide, attempted second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and obstruction of justice, per the station's report.
A Feud Rooted in a 2018 Killing
Prosecutors allege the shooting that killed Ridgley grew out of a long-running dispute connected to the 2018 killing of Ronnie Shallerhorn in New Orleans East, according to the same account from The Black Femicide Prevention Coalition, corroborated by NOPD records. Holmes and co-defendant Brandon Shallerhorn believed Melvin Boudreaux was responsible for Ronnie Shallerhorn's killing, per the outlet's reporting, and prosecutors allege Holmes, Brandon Shallerhorn, and Michael Tran were targeting Boudreaux in the run-up to Ridgley's death.
The dispute allegedly produced a string of shootings before Ridgley was killed. Holmes and Brandon Shallerhorn were accused of opening fire on a woman and three children, and in an August 18, 2018 shooting Holmes allegedly fired at Boudreaux and missed. Boudreaux was shot and survived; he was outside his home when that shooting occurred, per the station's report. The shooting was tied to four counts of attempted murder.
A Second Death Days Later
Five days after Ridgley was killed, alleged co-conspirator Michael Tran, 23, was shot and killed on the 14000 block of Peltier Drive in New Orleans East near the Mary Queen of Vietnam altar, according to WWL-TV. Tran was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the station's report on the case now going to trial. The case includes charges stemming from several other alleged shootings connected to the broader dispute, the station notes.
Brandon Shallerhorn, 40, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to second-degree murder and to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and was sentenced to five years, according to the station's reporting. He entered that plea in 2025, years after Holmes was first arraigned.
First Trial Ended Without a Verdict
Holmes pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned in March 2021 and elected to have a jury hear his case; the court denied his request to waive a jury trial, per the station's account. He went to trial on six charges in September 2022, with that proceeding focused on counts 16 through 21 of the broader case. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on any of the six charges, prompting the judge to dismiss the panel.
In the 2022 trial, prosecutors presented police reports, photographs, a 911 recording, ballistics evidence, and witness and expert testimony, according to the station's report. Holmes' defense has argued that prosecutors lack sufficient evidence tying him directly to Ridgley's death and that he should not be held responsible for the actions of others accused in the case.
What a Conviction Would Mean
Under Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 14, Section 30.1, a second-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment at hard labor without the possibility of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence, according to the Louisiana State Legislature. Trial judges in the state have no statutory discretion to impose a shorter term for adult second-degree murder. Separately, second-degree feticide carries a maximum sentence of 10 years at hard labor, according to the Ambeau Law Firm.
Louisiana appellate precedent in State v. Houston, decided in 2025, concerns convictions for second-degree murder and first-degree feticide, according to FindLaw Caselaw. The same firm also discusses life-without-parole sentencing in Louisiana.
