A TikTok star known to his followers as Mr Prada has been detained in Texas in connection with the grisly murder of a therapist in Louisiana, some 400 miles distant.
Terryon Ishmael Thomas was initially wanted for aggravated criminal damage to property, resisting an officer, and illegal use of a motor vehicle following the death of William Nicholas Abraham, 69.
On Wednesday, he was charged with second-degree murder.
The 20-year-old, who has an 8.2 million-strong internet following, was reportedly spotted driving in the victim’s vehicle, a black Lincoln MKZ, in Dallas, just days after Abraham’s body was discovered. He was arrested after initially refusing to stop.
According to the arrest warrant, Thomas allegedly backed into the police unit before racing away through a traffic light, smashing the car, and fleeing the scene.
After identifying Thomas as a person of interest, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office published security film stills of him.
He was processed into the Dallas County Jail on Monday evening, according to online records. According to the sheriff’s office, Abraham’s body was discovered on Sunday morning along a highway between the unincorporated village of Fluker and the Village of Tangipahoa in Louisiana.
His body was discovered partially hidden along the road, approximately 60 miles northeast of Baton Rouge, where authorities believe Abraham works. He had been “violently” battered to death, with bruises all over his head and neck, according to authorities.
The Tangipahoa Parish Coroner’s Office eventually confirmed that the preliminary cause of death was homicide and the method of death was blunt force trauma.
The authorities have yet to identify a reason for the crime, and it is unclear whether the victim and Thomas knew each other.
According to his website’s biography, Abraham was a life coach, licensed professional counselor, motivational speaker, and author. His office was located near the city’s Mid City South district, approximately seven miles east of downtown Baton Rouge.
Abraham’s relatives informed WBRZ that he went home on Saturday to clean his car before heading to his office to complete paperwork. He assured his roommate that it would be a few hours, but he never returned.
The Independent has contacted the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, which is handling the case, for additional information.
