Sheriff's Office has suspect, but no charges are made yet

BY DREW HINSHAW

Staff Reporter LAPLACE - The St. John Parish Sheriff's Office is reporting the sixth homicide this year, after a gunman triggered shots through the car of LaPlace twins Marcus and Stephen Schnyder, early Friday morning, killing the latter.

Randolph Jones, the 39-year-old man police were looking for in connection to the case, unexpectedly walked into Sherman Walker Correctional Facility Friday evening. He is simply being held for questioning, and at this time the police have not pressed charges against him or any individual - they have named no suspects.

Stephen Schnyder was riding in the passenger seat in a 1991 Mitsubishi Monterro, driven by his identical twin, shortly after midnight, when the two were shot at, passing through the 100 block of East 24th street in Reserve.

Neighbors dialed 9-1-1 and reported hearing the gunshots. By the time police officers had responded to the call Marcus Schnyder had already driven his wounded brother to River Parishes Hospital.

E.R. personnel treated Schnyder for bullet wounds to his right side chest area, and his right calf, but were unable to save him. By 1 a.m., doctors had pronounced Schnyder deceased.

The next day, the Sheriff's Office announced their search for Jones, who was wanted for questioning. Jones has since turned himself in, and has not been named a suspect.

Authorities say this was not the first time the twins' names had appeared alongside Jones' in the parish police reports. On October 4, officers found Jones on the front lawn of a stranger's residence, bleeding from the left temple. At that times Jones claimed he had been shot in the eye by

one of the brothers - he wasn't sure which - as they traveled down the 200 block of East 27th street, brandishing a .22 caliber pistol from the window of their blue Ford F-150 pick-up.

But family members describe a different “Stevie,” a loving prankster who, along with his twin, they could always rely on in a pinch.

“I called them when I caught a flat, they came within minutes,” said Yevette Scioneaux, the Schnyder twins' aunt. “He knew how to put down tile, help out with the electricity, he used to cut my boy's hair. I'm going to miss that.”

The twins grew up and worked their first jobs together, at the Avondale Shipyard. Shortly before the homicide, they were remodeling a neighbor's house together.

”They lived and breathed each other,” said Scioneaux. “They were like red beans and rice, or cake and icing. When we see one now we're still looking for the other.”