Ditch killing suspect arrested

Published 9:13 am Friday, August 8, 2014

By Monique Roth
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — A suspect sought for the killing of Kentrell Bailey has been apprehended.

The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office said Alonzo Wilkens, 23, was arrested at 10:30 p.m. Thursday at his sister’s home, located at 2355 N. Derbigny St. in New Orleans.

Sheriff Mike Tregre said a resident’s tip led to the arrest of Wilkens and several of his family members, who were booked on obstruction of justice charges.

U.S. Marshals and the NOPD aided in the arrest, Tregre said.

Wilkens’ bond has been set at $1 million.

On Aug. 1 Sheriff’s Office detectives identified Wilkens, of LaPlace, as a suspect in Bailey’s homicide.

Tregre said the identification of Wilkens as a suspect was made possible by parish and resident video surveillance cameras.

Through the Sheriff’s Office website, residents who have personal security camera systems at their homes can register their cameras with the St. John Parish Camera Registry. Should there be a crime in the resident’s area, Sheriff’s Office detectives may contact that resident to review film footage.

Tregre said the registry, as well as the parish cameras, have helped tremendously in solving cases.

The case began when deputies responded to the intersection of Main Street and Farm Road in LaPlace at 8:29 a.m. July 28 after receiving a report of a subject in a ditch.

“When deputies arrived on the scene, they found an unresponsive male subject with a gunshot wound in the head, and he was pronounced dead at the scene,” authorities said at the time. “The victim was identified as Kentrell Dyion Bailey, 30, of LaPlace.”