A woman accused of confronting a Marrero man while carrying a bat before two armed, masked accomplices forced him into a car has been extradited from Texas and booked into jail. Ciara Franklin, 41, also known as Ciara Harrison, was brought back from Galveston and booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna this week on charges including second-degree kidnapping and aggravated second-degree battery.
According to nola.com, the attack took place on the morning of June 1, 2025, outside a store in the 6300 block of Acre Road in Marrero. The victim, a 48-year-old man, was standing outside the business when a woman in a white nightgown and carrying a bat confronted him and accused him of stealing her money, the outlet reported.
Masked Men Joined the Attack
The woman was not alone. She was accompanied by two men wearing ski masks, and both were armed with guns, Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office spokesperson Brandon Veal said, per the same report. The trio then attacked the victim, beating him with the weapons, though no shots were fired during the assault.
One of the armed men ordered the victim to walk toward a nearby car wash at gunpoint before the group forced him into the front passenger seat of a vehicle. The woman then drove off with the two armed men riding in the back seat, according to the nola.com report.
A Desperate Jump to Escape
The group traveled about half a mile before the victim seized a chance to jump from the moving vehicle at the intersection of Ames Boulevard and the West Bank Expressway. Deputies who responded found him nearby, bleeding profusely from the back of his head, per the same account.
Franklin was being held at the Gretna jail on a $300,000 bond following her booking. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office has not disclosed how investigators came to identify her as a suspect, and investigators are still working to identify the other two suspects involved in the attack.
What the Charges Could Mean
Louisiana's statute on second-degree kidnapping, as published by the Louisiana Legislature, calls for imprisonment at hard labor for not less than five nor more than 40 years upon conviction. The state's aggravated battery statute, also published by the Louisiana Legislature, allows for a fine of up to $5,000, imprisonment with or without hard labor for up to 10 years, or both.
Anyone with information on the two still-unidentified suspects is asked to contact the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Investigations Bureau at 504-364-5300, or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-7867. Callers may remain anonymous without giving their names or testifying in court, and may be eligible for a reward if their information leads to formal charges.
