Murder probe ongoing

BY JIM MUSTIAN THE DAILY IBERIAN
Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, January 7, 2009 2:07 PM CST

FRANKLIN — The killer of Roosevelt “Bundy” Johnson III, the 23-year-old Franklin man discovered dead in the middle of the street in Glencoe just before Christmas, is either still at large or already behind bars in St. Mary Parish. But conflicting information police have gleaned from more than a dozen interviews could prolong their investigation indefinitely, investigators here say.

“It’s a coin toss,” St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office detective Lance St. Blanc said in an interview Tuesday when asked how investigators rate their chances of solving the case.

“We’re having to piece this thing together like a puzzle.”

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Investigators questioned four more people Tuesday morning, though St. Blanc said none of them is considered a suspect. St. Blanc said investigators are not looking for anyone in particular relating to the homicide, though he added, “I can tell you we’re not finished talking to people.”

Earl Landry and Emile Charles, both of whom were arrested in connection with the shooting shortly after Johnson’s body was found, have cooperated thus far in the investigation, St. Blanc said, though they have not yet been charged in the homicide.

Landry, 25, was arrested on Christmas Eve for conspiracy to commit armed robbery just hours after he advised authorities as to Johnson’s whereabouts on Georgetown Road.

Charles, 20, was arrested Dec. 27 on warrants for obstruction of justice and probation violation.

St. Blanc declined to elaborate on those arrests and suggested doing so could jeopardize the investigation.

But he did say Landry and Charles were acquaintances of Johnson’s.

Still, police have not been able to determine a motive in the fatal shooting.

Johnson was found shot once in the back the night of Dec. 23.

The weapon used in the shooting has not been identified.

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