By VICKIE JAMBON – Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – A former LaPlace resident, arrested in Brownsburg, Ind. for a crime committed over four years ago, was flown back and charged with first degree murder this week in LaPlace.

Judge Becnell did not allow bond for 29 year-old Tyrone L. Raymond, who is accused of murdering Janice Fugate.

A 61-year old taxi driver, Fugate was murdered on Easter Sunday, April 23, 2000 in her home at 2308 Cambridge Drive. Her taxi cab was found abandoned behind Cambridge Subdivision off Woodland Drive.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, St. John Parish Sheriff Wayne L. Jones told a crowd of onlookers that DNA found from blood and hair samples were sent to the state crime lab on August 21, 2000. He said he did not get information back confirming Raymond as the alleged murderer until April 22, 2004.

When asked why it took four years to get the DNA back, Jones said he was not condemning the crime lab for the delay. “The lab serves 63 other parishes. Instead of going with a private company, we went with the state. We had to wait our turn,” said the sheriff. We need more people doing DNA. Things were also going on in Baton Rouge (with the Baton Rouge serial killer) at the time.

According to Jones, Raymond was picked up in Brownsburg after a concerned citizen notified police of a suspicious-looking individual near a school taking pictures of children and selling magazines. Susan Patterson, who works with the Brownsburg police department said, “He did not have a permit to solicit and in Brownsburg you have to have a permit.”

After running a police check on Raymond, he was arrested on the warrant from Louisiana and placed in the Hendricks County Jail.

“We got a hit on him,” said Jones. An officer flew there Saturday and got him. He was never ruled out as a suspect. The sheriff said Raymond lived on the same street as Fugate, only a few yards away. Information gathered in the neighborhood led officers to suspect Raymond.

“We did nail scrapings on Fugate and we now have a substantial case,” said Jones. He said even though Raymond is claiming to be innocent, he is prepared to go forward with the case and that he is confident of a conviction.

The sheriff said he believed Raymond bounced around in the four years he was at bay. He said Raymond did not enter Indiana until two weeks ago. He would not speculate on the motive of the murder, saying it would come out in the trial. He did say however, that Fugate struggled with her attacker.

Coming forward to give a statement, the victim’s brother, Noah Fugate, would only say, “…I just want justice served. It’s been four years and a month.”

Women saying they were members of Raymond’s family spoke out in public. Janie Williams, claiming to be Raymond’s aunt, said, “It’s not like he’s been running. He’s been here all this time up to a few months ago.” She said she was going to back her nephew up 100 percent.

Williams also said she felt it took the police four years to arrest Raymond because they (the police) really do not know who did it. She said, “It don’t take no four years to get DNA.”

Effie Kelson, who also introduced herself as Raymond’s aunt, said, Raymond had been staying with his mother in the Cambridge Subdivision the whole time.