Man Confesses to Murders of Girlfriend, 2 Kids; Police Say Victims Beaten to Death With Hammer
A Louisiana man has allegedly confessed to beating his girlfriend and four children with a hammer, killing the woman, her niece, and one of her kids. Two of the woman’s other kids were critically injured as well, PEOPLE confirms.
On Wednesday, Terrance L. Leonard, 33, was arrested on multiple charges, including three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto announced at a press conference on Thursday.
Leonard allegedly confessed to using a hammer to kill two of his girlfriend’s children as they slept. He then allegedly beat two others, leaving them to die, before waiting for his girlfriend, Kristina Riley, to come home and allegedly attack her too, Lopinto said.
The deceased victims were Riley, 32; her son, Ayden Riley; and her 9-year-old niece, De’ryona Encalade. Riley’s two eldest daughters, ages 12 and 14, survived the attack and were taken to a hospital in critical condition. Their names have not been released, Lopinto said.
Lopinto painted a violent picture of the evening’s events that ended in tragedy.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this was a gruesome scene,” Lopinto said. “We’re talking about blunt force trauma to each of the individuals.”
Leonard was in charge of taking care of the children while Riley spent the evening with her mother, Lopinto said.
As the children slept, Leonard allegedly used a hammer to kill and beat them, Lopinto said.
After allegedly attacking the children as they slept, Leonard told investigators he then waited for Riley to get home so he could kill her. At 2 a.m., Riley arrived and was beaten to death. Neighbors told deputies they heard arguing coming from the home at this time, but they did not call the police.
Leonard has also been charged with obstruction of justice after he allegedly attempted to “hastily” clean up blood from the scene, Lopinto said.
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At some point after the attack, Leonard left the scene and returned with his mother at around 7 a.m. Lopinto believes Leonard may have been attempting to create an alibi by showing up to the scene with his mother.
When his mother saw what had happened, she called 911.
Deputies at the scene spoke to Leonard and noted that he appeared nervous. While asking him questions, Leonard allegedly confessed to the crimes. There is no known reason for the killings.
When asked by a reporter Thursday if he would support the district attorney seeking the death penalty, Lopinto replied, “This person should never see the light of day and the first chance he gets to be off of this Earth, I’m okay with that.”
