Lake Charles American Press - Articles - 1966 Calcasieu Parish, LA ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ HARRIS, Emma Lee LCAP 7/20/1966 P.34 3566 Typed by Chrissy Breaux BEATING DEATH OF WOMAN IS STILL MYSTERY City Police remain puzzled by the mysterious slaying of Emma Lee Harris, 39, of 1305 Shattuck St., whose battered body was found in a pool of blood early Sunday at First Avenue near the Interstate 10 overpass. Maj. Rodney Simon, chief of detectives, said today that police are still awaiting lab reports in hops of finding some clue to the woman's death. It is not known whether the woman was beaten where she fell and was found dead, or whether she was beaten elsewhere and her body dumped on the lonely road east of the Missouri Pacific Railroad tracks where it was found by a switch engineer. The victim died of a fractured skull, and had lacerations of the scalp. The left side of her face was crushed by the blows, police said. Detectives are checking her whereabouts before the murder and are checking several taverns where the woman was reportedly seen prior to her death, Maj. Simon said. HARRIS, Emma Lee LCAP 7/18/1966 P. 1 #565 Typed by Chrissy Breaux KILLINGS CLAIM FOURTH VICTIM; THREE CHARGED The Lake Charles area recorded its fourth violent death Sunday - another homicide - and Dist. Atty. Frank Salter today accepted murder charges in the first three weekend killings. a Missouri Pacific switch engineer found the body of the fourth victim at 3:17 a.m. sunday in a pool of blood on First Avenue near the Interstate 10 overpass. City Polilce identified her as Emma Lee Harris, 39, of 1305 Shattuck St. Her death follows by about 24 hours the three other killings early Satulrday morning. Two men and one woman died within 31/2 hours in separate incidents. Maj. Rodney Simon, city chief of detectives, said the Harris woman's body was found face down on the east side of the MoPac tracks near a cemetery bordering the south service road of IH-10. "She was hit with something pretty stout," according to Dr. Charles T. White, Calcasieu Parish coroner. He said she had a fractured skull, lacerations of the scalp in several places and was beaten about the side fo the face. Simon said "she was probablyl beaten to death." City detectives are checking the woman's whereabouts Saturday in an effort to find persons who might have seen her before her death. Salter said murder charges have been accepted against Homer Trahan, 47, a bouncer-deputy at Herbert's Lounge; Ora H. Gillyard, 39, of 2025 Medora St.; and Horace Joseph Latigue, 27, of 416 Simmons St. Latigue is the object of a widespread search. Trahan and the Gillyard woman were in the parish jail today. Sheriff Henry A. Reid described Latigue as weighing about 150 pounds and five feet, eight inches in height. He has black hair, brown eyes and a light complexion. He was last seen wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and tan trousers. Trahan is accused of killing Robert Wayne Trahan, 25, no relation, of 2602 Evelia St., West Lake. The alleged shooting took place in the parking lot at Herbert's Lounge. The victim and a companion, Wilbur Duhon of sulphur, reportedly were engaged in an argument and fight with Homer Trahan just before the shooting. lThe victim was pronounced dead on the parking lot. The Gillyard woman is accused of shooting her common-law husband, Nathan Minor, in a lounge at 2021 Medora St. He was pronounced dead at Charity Hospital. Latigue is accused of stabbing to death Mrs. Earlene Hasty Hunter Valorie, 25, of 2818 Eighth St. The incident took place near a club at Enterprise Boulevard and Mill Street. She, too, was pronounced dead at Charity Hospital. The accused man took the victim's car and it was found abandoned later in Houston, Tex. Reid said two deputies have gone to Houston to pick up the car and work on the case while there. Robert Wayne Trahan had been pardoned from the state penitentiary at Angola in December 1961, his first wife said today. The earlier report said he had been pardoned "some months ago." She said the shooting victim also was survived by her and a daughter, aged four years.