By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE — Authorities in St. John apprehended a 42-year-old LaPlace man for his alleged involvement in the death of his girlfriend, said a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.

Kenneth Ray Lanier Jr., 2109 Cartier Dr., LaPlace, was booked Friday evening on second-degree murder charges after investigators found his 22-year-old girlfriend, Lisa Bordelon, unresponsive on the floor of a bedroom at a home on Grant Drive in the Belle Pointe Subdivision in LaPlace earlier that morning, Maj. Mike Tregre, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office.

Tregre said Bordelon was pronounced dead at the house, but there were no obvious signs of trauma. He said an autopsy was performed Saturday, but the results were not made ready as of press time.

According to a report from the Sheriff’s Office, deputies were informed of Bordelon’s death through a tip received from Lanier’s aunt, who contacted police around 9:17 a.m. Friday after her nephew told her he “killed his girlfriend.” The woman said she only knew Bordelon’s first name and knew she was an employee at a fast food restaurant in LaPlace.

Tregre said 911 operators contacted the restaurant and obtained Bordelon’s name and verification of employment. He said employees at the restaurant told the operator that Bordelon did not show up for work that day.

Tregre said Bordelon had been living with Lanier at the Cartier Drive residence since September, but a computer check showed Lanier had previously resided at the Grant Drive home where Bordelon was eventually found.

The report said officers searching for Bordelon encountered Lanier walking in the 1500 block of Belle Pointe Boulevard. He was in possession of a Chevy S-10 pickup belonging to Bordelon, which was parked in front of the Grant Drive address. A search of the vehicle recovered Bordelon’s work uniform and cell phone from inside the truck. Deputies then entered the home and found Bordelon on the floor. Tregre said Lanier was detained for questioning, but Lanier refused to cooperate with detectives and answered none of the investigators’ queries. Tregre said investigators are still trying to determine a motive in the killing.

Bordelon’s death is the seventh homicide in St. John Parish this year. Anyone with any information on the incident should contact Lt. Juan Watkins of the St. John Sheriff’s Office at 985-652-6338.