WAFB Channel 9, Baton Rouge, LA |Police say an alleged affair led to murder-suicide
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By Greg Meriwether - bio | email
ADDIS, LA (WAFB) - Police are investigating the case of a mother killing her seven-year-old son and then took her own life Thursday.
Addis police now say the woman was upset about an alleged affair her husband had with another woman.
West Baton Rouge Parish sheriff's deputies say 34-year-old Lavinia Banks was upset with her husband and fed up with her marriage. She allegedly shot her seven-year old son, Darieyonne, dragged the little boy to the bathroom, and shot him again.
Investigators say she put the little boy's body in a tub full of water and then shot herself in the head. Paramedics were called to the home on Bradley Court in Addis at 5:30pm after the father arrived at the home and saw blood in the hallway.
"The only thing that goes through my mind is what I would do if it were my child," says Addis Police Chief Rickey Anderson. "It's tough to deal with. To top it all off, the mother had laid out funeral clothes next to where she loaded the gun."
Officers had been to the home before and actually dealt with the woman just a few weeks ago. In fact, Chief Anderson had responded to that call. "It's frustrating," Anderson admits, "to go to a residence so many times and then something like this happens. That's why the domestic violence laws are so tough and that when we show up, we are bound to do something."
The family of Darieyonne Banks has set up a memorial fund at Dow Federal Credit Union that will go towards establishing a memorial in Darieyonne's honor at Brusly Elementary School. Please contact Dow FCU at 1-888-369-2207 for information on donating to this fund.
