Terryon Ishmael Thomas, 20, has been charged with second-degree murder of Baton Rouge therapist and former priest William Nicholas “Nicky” Abraham, 69, who was found dead on the side of Highway 51 in Tangipahoa Parish over the weekend.
The TikTok creator, with over 4 million followers, known as Mr. Prada was arrested in Dallas, Texas on Tuesday for charges of aggravated criminal damage to property, resisting an officer and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, following the death of Abraham. Thomas has now been charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday.
Authorities had discovered Abraham’s body inside a rolled-up tarp, hidden on the side of Highway 51 between the communities of Fluker and the Village of Tangipahoa on Sunday Sept. 29. The therapist was found an hour east of Baton Rouge, where detectives said the victim worked.
The Tangipahoa Parish coroner’s office said the cause of death is blunt force trauma and ruled his death a homicide earlier this week. Sheriff Gerald Sticker told WAFB the attack was very violent and physical, with lots of bruising to the head, shoulder and neck.
Investigators searched Abraham’s home in East Baton Rouge Parish earlier this week and found no sign of struggle; however, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office found evidence indicating a violent altercation had occurred inside Thomas’ home, according to an arrest warrant filed by the sheriff’s office.
Detectives found “a significant amount of blood” and “multiple sharp objects and other weapons,” according to the warrant. Investigators believed the man was murdered on Saturday evening and his body was put on the side of the road in the middle of the night.
Evidence of surveillance footage shows the therapist arriving at Thomas’ apartment Saturday in the same clothing he was found in on Sunday, according to the affidavit. Nearby witnesses also saw Thomas carrying a tarp down the stairs of his apartment complex and loading it into Abraham’s vehicle.
On Monday the Tangipahoa Sheriff’s Office released surveillance images of the person of interest to the public. The man in the image was the last person to have been driving Abraham’s car.
The driver of the stolen vehicle would not comply with the cops after a Baton Rouge police officer attempted to pull the vehicle over, according to a warrant. The driver backed the stolen vehicle into a police unit and fled the scene. Abraham’s stolen vehicle was recovered off Sherwood Forest Blvd. in Baton Rouge on Monday afternoon. The officer involved in the crash later identified Terryon Ishmael Thomas as the wanted party.
The police have no evidence that Thomas was a client of Abraham. The relationship between Thomas and Abraham and the potential motive are still under investigation.
The TikToker was taken into custody Tuesday night and remained jailed there without bond Wednesday. Thomas remains in custody in Texas and awaits extradition to Louisiana. No court date has been set yet.
