By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – Authorities in St. John are investigating the death of a LaPlace man who was stabbed in the back after an alleged fight with his girlfriend over the weekend, said a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.

Maj. Mike Tregre, public information officer for the St. John Sheriff’s Office, said 31-year-old Kiayana Becnel told deputies on the scene that she had stabbed her boyfriend, 32-year-old Kentrall Jones, after a heated altercation. Becnel said the move was in self-defense after a verbal confrontation became physical.

Tregre said the incident happened around 11:30 p.m. Saturday at Jones’ home in the 2400 block of Virginian Colony Avenue in LaPlace. He said Jones, who was found unresponsive on the floor of a bedroom in the home, was transported to River Parishes Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Becnel was not seriously injured during the alleged attack.

According to a report on the incident, Becnel told deputies that when the argument became physical she ran to the kitchen and grabbed a 7-inch steak knife and stabbed Jones once in the back. Investigators were able to recover the weapon. Tregre said the couple had been together six or seven months, and there is no prior record of any domestic disturbances from the residence.

Becnel was not arrested at the time of the incident, but Tregre said investigators plan to meet with the District Attorney’s Office this week to request that the case go before a Grand Jury.

The incident is still under investigation, and anyone with information is asked to contact the St. John Sheriff’s Office at 985-652-6338. Det. Kenneth Mitchell is the case officer.