The NOPD’s Violent Offender Warrant Squad and the U.S. Marshals arrested a suspect Thursday (Jan. 18) in two recent homicides in Central City.
Earl Simmons, 31, is accused of killing Cayla Kelley, 27, and Eddie Matthews, 64, in separate shootings on Jan. 6.
Police found Kelley dead on the sidewalk in the 2700 block of Washington Avenue at about 6:15 p.m. on Twelfth Night. She had sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
Four hours later, Sixth District officers responded to another call reporting a shooting. Officers went to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and South Liberty Street, where Matthews was suffering from gunshot wounds. The Emergency Medical Services took him to University Medical Center, where he later died.
During the investigation, NOPD Homicide Section detectives linked the two deadly shootings and developed Simmons as a suspect. Detectives then obtained arrest warrants for Simmons, each for one count of second-degree murder.
NOPD officers and the U.S. Marshals found Simmons at a residence in Central City. He was arrested without incident and booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center.
Simmons remained jailed Friday (Jan. 19). His bond had not been set.
Anyone with additional information that can assist in this investigation is urged to contact NOPD Homicide Section detectives at 504-658-5300.
