Jacob Yarbrough

A trip from Houston, Texas, to Lake Charles, Louisiana, ended in the death of 18-year-old Jacob Yarbrough in the spring of 2022. Yarbrough, a Black male, was with his companion, 22-year-old James Malik Johnson, also from Houston, on the night of Friday, March 25. That evening, neighbors reported hearing gunshots near the intersection of Common and LaGrange streets. When police arrived, they found a dark-colored Chevrolet Impala in the middle of the road with one victim lying nearby. That man was transported to a local hospital, where he later died. Officers found the second victim in the 3500 block of Common Street, where he was pronounced dead.

The Lake Charles Police Department investigation revealed that Yarbrough and Johnson had traveled to the city to conduct a drug transaction. Authorities stated that the situation escalated during the deal, resulting in the shooting that claimed both men's lives. The suspects fled the area immediately after the double homicide. Detective Jeff Atkinson was named the lead investigator, and the department asked anyone with information to come forward.

In May 2022, police announced the arrests of two Lake Charles men in connection with the killings. Jamarcus Dahanta Miller, 20, was arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree murder, while Zyterius Tajae Cordero Anderson, 19, was charged with two counts of principal to second-degree murder. Both were booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center, and a judge set their bonds at $1.8 million each. Authorities noted that Miller had been arrested in April of that year in a separate shooting incident.

Three months later, in August 2022, a grand jury in state district court formally indicted both men. Miller and Anderson were each indicted on two counts of second-degree murder. Anderson, who had a prior conviction for drug possession with intent to distribute, was also indicted on charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and illegal use of a weapon during a crime of violence. As of that indictment in August 2022, the case against both men was proceeding through the court system.