Vivian Eloise Carter-Synder, a beloved 56-year-old wife, mother, and grandmother, was a native of New Orleans, born on July 22, 1956, to Wallace and Christine Carter. Remembered as a cherished part of a large and close-knit family, Vivian was one of fourteen siblings. She was married to her husband, Ozeal Snyder, for 27 years and was a loving mother to two sons, Dwayne and Hollis Carter. Her role as a grandmother to seven grandchildren brought her immense joy. Friends and family recalled her with love, leaving messages of remembrance in the wake of her sudden passing, praying for comfort for her grieving family and holding onto memories they would always keep in their hearts.
The evening of Sunday, December 16, 2012, began as a quiet moment of family connection for Vivian. She was standing outside her home on St. Andrew Street, speaking with her nephew, Joseph Banister, who had stopped his car to chat with his aunt. With him in the car was 18-year-old Lawrence Burt.
In an instant, the peaceful scene was shattered. A man with his face covered emerged from another vehicle, raised an AK-47, and began firing indiscriminately. Vivian was struck in the head and died at the hospital. The gunman then ran closer, shooting both Banister and Burt multiple times. Lawrence Burt also succumbed to his injuries, making it a double homicide. Banister was critically wounded but survived the brutal attack.
The investigation into the senseless killings was handled by the New Orleans Police Department and eventually involved federal authorities. The crime was not a targeted attack on Vivian but a tragic consequence of a violent street war. Investigators soon linked the shooting to a notorious gang known as the "Young Melph Mafia" (YMM), or the "Mid-City Killers." This group operated in the Central City area, controlling territory near the former Melpomene Housing Development through drug trafficking and extreme violence against rival gangs.
A sweeping federal indictment was eventually brought against multiple members of the gang under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. The indictment detailed a long history of drug conspiracies, firearms violations, and multiple murders. The man who fired the shots that killed Vivian Carter-Synder and Lawrence Burt was identified as Dedrick Keelen, a member of the gang. According to testimony from another gang member, Keelen later said he had been under the influence of pills that night and "made a mistake and killed Ms. Snyder." He had mistaken Lawrence Burt for a rival gang member and opened fire.
In June 2017, following an eight-day federal trial, Dedrick Keelen and four of his fellow gang members—Lionel Allen, Jawan Fortia, Delwin McLaren, and Bryan Scott—were convicted on a multitude of charges. The jury found Keelen guilty of the murders of both Vivian Carter-Synder and Lawrence Burt. In September 2017, a U.S. District Judge sentenced Keelen to life in prison plus an additional ten years for his crimes. His co-defendants also received lengthy prison sentences for their roles in the gang's widespread criminal enterprise, with some, including a leader of the gang, also receiving life sentences for other murders and racketeering activities.
Vivian Carter-Synder’s funeral was held on December 28, 2012, at the New Hope Baptist Church in New Orleans, where her large family and many friends gathered to say their final goodbyes. She was laid to rest in Osyka, Mississippi. While justice was served with the conviction and life sentence of her killer, the community was left to mourn a woman taken from her family by a random, brutal act of gang violence. Her case stands as a somber reminder of the innocent lives caught in the crossfire of conflicts they have no part in. The case is considered closed as of the convictions in 2017.
