Jed Howard, a 46-year-old Black man, was killed in Shreveport, Louisiana on May 11, 2015. Responders were called to a deliberately set fire at an apartment complex; investigators found gasoline had been used to start the blaze and discovered Howard alive but with a fatal gunshot wound to the head. Early reports said Howard had been shot at his home in the 8200 block of Wildbriar Drive and that his black Saturn was taken during the attack.

The stolen Saturn was later found burned near a wooded area close to the 3800 block of Camrose Lane. Surveillance video captured a person near the torched vehicle; family members identified Jeremy Rachal as the person in that footage. Investigators also connected property taken from Howard’s residence, including a television, to people close to Rachal, and noted Rachal had suffered a severe burn around the time of the fires and gave conflicting explanations for it.

Jeremy Xavier Rachal was charged by indictment with second-degree murder and aggravated arson. In July 2019 he entered an Alford plea to second-degree murder under terms that included a life sentence at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence; aggravated arson and other charges were dismissed as part of the agreement. Does anyone have additional information about Howard’s last days or the items taken from his home?