Christian Cartez Myers

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Alexander Moraski

THE DAILY NEWS 

 

A Washington Parish jury found Christian Cartez Myers, 25, of Bogalusa, guilty of second-degree murder, assault by drive-by shooting, and illegal use of weapons in the 2022 shooting death of Veronique Allen, District Attorney Collin Sims announced.

The verdict was delivered June 25 after an hour of jury deliberation following a three-day trial presided over by Judge William H. Burris. Assistant District Attorneys Le’Anne Malnar and Christina Fisher prosecuted the case. Detective Justin Blackwell of the Bogalusa Police Department led the investigation.

Allen, 50, was killed around noon on Aug. 23, 2022, when a hail of gunfire struck her Main Street residence during a family gathering. Officers responding to the scene found her slumped in a living room chair with a fatal gunshot wound to the head. Witnesses described a burst of gunfire from outside, with over 20 .223 caliber cartridges recovered near the street.

Surveillance footage from nearby properties showed a vehicle circling the area multiple times during the shoot-

ing. Police traced the license plate and later that day located the car in Lafayette. After a brief chase, the occupants fled on foot, and a firearm was recovered from the front seat. A surveillance video from a convenience store showed one of the suspects fleeing, and multiple family members of the victim identified him as Myers.

Authorities issued a warrant for Myers, who evaded arrest for several months before being located in Scarborough, Maine. He was extradited to Washington Parish and confessed to driving the vehicle during the shooting. Myers told detectives he had a personal dispute with a man related to the victim and was driving the car while another occupant fired into the home.

“This murder would not have taken place without Christian Myers,” ADA Fisher told jurors during closing arguments. The defense argued for a lesser conviction, but ADA Malnar countered, “Justice can only be served by a life sentence.”

Myers will be sentenced on July 21. He faces a mandatory life sentence for the murder conviction, up to five years for the drive-by shooting, and up to two years for illegal use of weapons.