By A Louisiana woman and her boyfriend have been arrested for inflicting severe injuries on a teenage girl, injuries described by one investigator as the “worst” they have seen in their “entire career.”
Latonya Ann Harris, 40, faces charges of Attempted First Degree Murder, Second-Degree Cruelty to a Juvenile, and Domestic Abuse Battery Child Endangerment for crimes against her 15-year-old daughter. Her boyfriend, Terrence Washington, is charged with Attempted First Degree Murder, Second-Degree Cruelty to a Juvenile, Obstruction of Justice, Molestation of a Juvenile, three counts of Indecent Behavior with a Juvenile, and five counts of Second-Degree Rape.
On April 21, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office reported learning about a 15-year-old victim found “badly burned, shot multiple times,” but still clinging to life after a car crash in Baytown, Texas, around 11 p.m. the night before. Washington was allegedly “driving recklessly” and crashed on a service road. Responding officers found him “holding a firearm” and took him into custody. Other occupants in the vehicle included the victim, another child, and Harris.
Due to the severity of the victim’s injuries, she was transported to a nearby hospital where medical staff discovered extensive burns on her upper body and gunshot wounds to her chest and face. An investigator from the Baytown Police Department described the injuries as the worst she had seen in her career.
Washington allegedly admitted to officers that he shot the victim during a fight with the girl’s mother at their Louisiana home. He also confessed to sexually abusing the victim for several months prior to her injuries. During a follow-up interview, Washington stated that his gun “went off and shot the victim in the face” on April 19. Regarding the burns, he claimed Harris was responsible, having set the girl on fire in February after learning of the sexual abuse, which she blamed on the victim.
Washington confirmed that Harris treated the victim’s injuries at home, refusing to seek medical attention. The minor child in the car corroborated this account, recalling waking up during Mardi Gras to see the victim on fire with Harris standing over her with a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a lighter. The child also detailed the victim being shot on two separate occasions within their home, with the injuries going untreated as the family traveled to Texas.
A search of the family’s home revealed evidence of a weapon being fired inside, along with blood evidence and the strong odor of infection and decomposing flesh.
Harris refused to speak with detectives, while Washington provided a detailed account of the abuse. Sheriff Tim Soignet expressed his gratitude for the arrest of these “extremely violent offenders,” acknowledging the difficulty and unimaginable violence involved in the case. He praised the detectives’ tireless efforts to protect the young victim from further torture and abuse.
Harris remains jailed at Terrebonne Parish Criminal Justice Complex on a $1 million bond. Washington is currently behind bars in Texas and will be remanded to the custody of the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office at a later date. The investigation is ongoing.
