On the night of October 1, 2015, police in Baton Rouge responded just before midnight to the 3600 block of Osceola Street after reports of gunfire. Officers found a parked vehicle with broken glass and blood inside, and a trail of blood that led to 24-year-old Monquel Yates. Yates had sustained multiple gunshot wounds; the motive was reported as unknown at the time.

Investigators identified 18-year-old Tyler Pointer as a suspect and obtained a warrant charging him with second-degree murder. Pointer was arrested at the end of October 2015. In November 2018, Pointer, then 21, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to ten years with credit for time served; he also received a concurrent one-year sentence for illegal possession of stolen things.

Some family members continued to believe others were involved. Years later those tensions reappeared when Monquel’s brother, Standley Yates, was arrested in March 2024 for allegedly shooting at a man he believed was tied to Monquel’s 2015 death. Does anyone have information about Monquel’s life or the circumstances leading up to that night?