Four teens to be tried as adults for carjacking and dragging 73-year-old New Orleans woman to death

Four New Orleans teenagers who were arrested over the carjacking death of 73-year-old Linda Frickey last month, face second-degree murder charges and will be tried as adults.

According to NOLA News, the suspects are: 17-year-old John Honore, 16-year-old Briniyah Baker, 15-year-old Mar’Qel Curtis and 15-year-old Lenyra Theophile.

In the state of Louisiana, a guilty verdict on second-degree murder charges could result in the four serving life in prison.

Surveillance video viewed by Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams led him to have the suspects tried as adults. "Our juvenile court system was not designed for this," he said. "Four or five years for these criminal acts is just not enough."

Williams told WWL-TV, "This wasn’t a gun going off. This wasn’t a situation where there was a terrible mistake and the car went out of control. There was a decision to encircle and prey on a woman that was clearly an elder, by all four individuals. Then there was kicking and punching. All of the individuals got inside of the vehicle, which was the weapon in this case, and dragged her, despite her cries for help. And not a single one did anything to disengage or walk away."

According to the outlet, relatives of the victim met with Williams at his office, and requested that the four teens be tried as adults. WLL-TV reported that 17-year-old John Honore's criminal history goes back to age 12, and he has had at least seven previous arrests leading up to last month’s deadly carjacking.

On Monday, March 21, the victim was dragged from her car by the four suspects. At least one of them beat the 73-year-old, who had her arm ripped from her body as the carjackers pulled her away.

Neighbors witnessed the carjacking and said Frickey was still breathing as she lay dying in the street. Multiple witnesses tried calling 911 for help. The initial attempt left the caller on the phone for nearly five minutes before  he gave up. Another caller made a successful effort at notifying paramedics, but had to wait nearly 15 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.

"She’s still breathing. I can feel a pulse. And the anger was like, 'Where the hell is the ambulance?' I kept hearing loads of cops show up, but no ambulance," recounted Mark Mascar.

Parents of two of the suspects were reported to have turned in their own children after a public plea from authorities for community help in solving the case was made.