Christian Burgau

On the morning of April 23, 2025, Christian Burgau, a 20-year-old White male from Harvey, Louisiana, was shot and killed. Residents in the 1100 block of St. Michael Drive described hearing about 20 gunshots just before 10 a.m. When Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office deputies arrived, they found Christian lying in the bushes in front of a home. He had suffered at least one gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities noted that Christian did not live at the residence where he was found.

The investigation soon revealed that Christian’s death was connected to another violent incident that had occurred just 30 minutes earlier. About two miles away, in the 900 block of Justice Court in Marrero, a 15-year-old boy had been shot in the chest and critically injured. Investigators with the Sheriff's Office determined that Christian Burgau was a suspect in the teen’s shooting and stated that had he survived, he would have faced an attempted murder charge. At the time he was killed, Christian was reportedly walking on St. Michael Drive with his stepbrother, Shawn Dubois, who was later arrested in connection with the Marrero shooting.

Within weeks, detectives identified two suspects in Christian’s homicide. The first, 19-year-old Desmin Chaisson of Marrero, was arrested and booked with first-degree murder and obstruction of justice. A second suspect, 20-year-old Justin Smith, also of Marrero, was later taken into custody on a charge of first-degree murder.

Subsequently, a Jefferson Parish grand jury indicted both Desmin Chaisson and Justin Smith on revised charges of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice in the death of Christian Burgau. Both men appeared in Jefferson Parish Magistrate Court, where they pleaded not guilty to the charges. As of their arraignment, the case is proceeding through the legal system.