Amy Szpara

LAPLACE – A LaPlace man is wanted for shooting and killing his girlfriend in their 8874 Sunnyside Drive home on Friday.

After being beaten, receiving numerous injuries to the face and getting shot, Sydonna Morris, 26, was taken to River Parishes Hospital in LaPlace. She was later transferred to Charity Hospital in New Orleans, where she died at 12:55 a.m. from a gunshot wound to the right side of the forehead.

An autopsy was performed Monday morning, and the weapon is believed to be a semi-automatic handgun. It has not been recovered at this time.

St. John the Baptist sheriffs deputies have a warrant for the arrest of Danny Eugene Winston, 38, who is accused of second-degree murder.

After being called to the couples home Friday at 7:29 p.m., deputies discovered Morris, who was still alive at that time. According to Capt. Michael Tregre, spokesman for the St. John Sheriffs Office, the woman had been shot several hours before the phone call was made.

“At this point we will either recover the vehicle, recover the suspect or both,” said Tregre. “The best thing he can do is turn himself in.”

According to authorities, Morris was home with her children and a nephew when Winston came home. He argued with his girlfriend of three years in their bedroom, then came out, closing and locking the door behind him. He told the children not to bother Morris because she was resting, then fled the scene in Morris 1994 champagne Toyota Corolla, Louisiana license plate IXN206.

The children, who believed Morris was sleeping in the next room, heard moaning and called the victims sister, Shannon Florent, who then called the sheriffs office.

Florent, whose son was at the home when the shooting occurred, found her sister. She believes she arrived about two hours after Morris had been shot. “That wouldnt give him time to get out of the state,” she said. “Hell probably have to get someone to get him out to Mississippi.”

About her sister, Florent said, “She was very nice. She was always smiling and laughing. Ive never known of her to do any intentional wrong. Her main thing was focusing on her children. Her kids were her world.”

Morris had one child with Winston, an 18-month-old, who was not harmed, and she had two other children, 5 and 7. The family is now afraid Winston will return for his daughter.

“We know hes around here trying to get the little girl. Weve seen him recently, heard reports of him. Hes stalking us. Someone saw him yesterday and wrote the license down. He was gone by the time police got there,” said Lorent.

Florent recalls that her family never liked Winston. “He would disappear for months, then come back. He preys on people, on young women in small towns,” she said.

Winston, who most recently worked at a Race Track on U.S. 90 in Paradis, had worked at Wal-Mart in the past.

“My family didnt like him,” said Florent. “We always said, Theres something about that man, but we just couldnt put a finger on it.”

“We know it was planned,” said Florent. “She was ready to go on with her life. I know she was breaking up with him. There was no trace of anything of his. We did a thorough investigation and we only found his I.D. My husband found all her clothes in the back yard with Clorox and gas on them.”

Winston has two other children besides his daughter with Morris, one in Mississippi and one in California with an ex-wife.

Morris is survived by her three children, two sisters, five brothers and her mother and father. Her mother is expected to take her children to live with her.