PA sees 14 homicides in 2018

Published 11:26 am Thursday, December 27, 2018

Deadly violence in the city in 2018 is almost triple what it was last year and there seems to be no rhyme or reason behind it.

Port Arthur saw 14 homicides as of late December — a stark rise from the five reported homicides in 2016 and 2017.

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Port Arthur Police Det. L. Thomas said of the 14 only one was gang related.

“The rest were random acts of violence,” Thomas, a veteran officer, said, her voice growing grim.

Benjamin Franklin’s axiom ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ doesn’t fit in with the violence in the city. Det. Mike Hebert said there was no way to have prepared for one of the city’s earliest homicides which started with an altercation at Lowe’s that led to a shooting and a fatal car crash on Memorial Boulevard. There was likewise no way to prepare for a situation where two friends were handling a gun that went off and fatally struck one of the men.

And with each life lost comes a sense of urgency for the detectives who must walk a very thin line. When Thomas and other detectives get to the scene their minds are spinning as they take in everything while also thinking about the end — an arrest and trial. There are pressures to this job.

“Dead people can’t speak. I speak for them,” she said.

 

Here’s a look at the homicides:

  • (1) Jan. 7 — John Sinegal, 45, of Port Arthur, was shot to death at Port Arthur Inn.

His friend, Jeremy Bell was arrested for the crime and indicted on Jan. 31. He is charged with manslaughter.

The friends were in a room at the motel when Bell’s .410 revolver discharged and Sinegal was shot in the chest, court documents said.

  • (2) Jan. 25 — Jose Pompas Leal, 27, was shot while driving, lost consciousness and crashed into other vehicles at a busy intersection at 39th Street and Memorial Boulevard. Two suspects were identified and arrested: James Joseph Levron, who was indicted Feb. 21 and David Broadus, who was indicted on Feb. 7.
  • (3) Jan. 25 — Kevin Tran, 25, was fatally shot while on the porch of a home in the 1300 block of Trinity Avenue on Jan. 25. A second victim was also shot and seriously injured.

The case in unsolved at this time and Thomas continues to follow leads in the case.

  • (4) Jan. 26 — Jonah Rivera of Sabine Pass was killed after he was shot in the mouth at a private residence. Several masked men had gone to the house late that night looking for someone.

Raul Aguilar Trejo was later arrested for the homicide and indicted on March 7.

  • (5) Jan. 26 — Ervin Michael Jefferson, 37, was stabbed to death in the 600 block of Sixth Street after a dispute with another man turned physical. The grand jury took no action on the case on Feb. 28.
  • (6) March 5 — Kevonn Jeffery Washington, 18, was found shot to death behind Lakeview Palms Apartments, 5200 Gulfway Drive. He died from multiple gunshot wounds. He was a senior at Memorial High School and had expected to graduate in June.

James Earl Holloway, 18, was arrested in November for the March murder. A juvenile was also arrested and charged with the murder.

  • (7) March 16 — Joseph Boudreaux, 25, was shot to death at Avery Trace Apartment complex and later died at Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont.

Walter Stevens Jones was arrested for the crime and indicted on March 28.

  • (8) June 14 — The highly decomposed body of Kristen Balismo, 31, was found on a secluded road on Pleasure Island’s South Levee Road.

The victim was found in the middle of a gravel road in an area that is home to alligators, wild dogs and hogs.

Several weeks passed before Balismo, who was from Port Arthur but whose last address was in Orange County, was officially identified.

Justice of the Peace Tom Gillam III said the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.

The case remains under investigation.

 

  • (9) June 25 — Devondre Benjamin, 19, was shot to death at Park Central Apartments, 8580 Park Central Blvd.

A 24-year-old Port Arthur man was taken into custody at the scene and charged with murder.

A Jefferson County grand jury did not indict the man on the murder charge.

  • (10) July 25 — Floyd Dergent, 49, was bullied, knocked down, then shot at Prince Hall Apartment complex.

Detectives have not said how many times the victim was shot. Joshua Henderson, 30, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service on an outstanding murder warrant for the brutal killing of Dergent.

  • (11) August 13 — Roderick Keith Wiltz, 37, was stabbed to death in the 3700 block of Gulfway Drive.

Police said there was an altercation between the two men and Leroy Gipson, 54, stabbed Wiltz in the upper body with a knife.

Wiltz later died making the aggravated assault charge changed to a murder charge.

  • (12) Sept. 29 — Khoa Dang “Kevin” Nguyen, 33, of Nederland was shot multiple times while fishing on Pleasure Island’s North Levee Road and died after wrecking his vehicle trying to leave the island.

Security on the Island has been upgraded and there is more of a law enforcement presence.

The case remains under investigation.

  • (13) Oct. 24 — Michael Lynn Thomas, 56, homeless, was shot to death at Fabric Care Washateria, 2925 25th St.

OC Thomas, 69, (no relation) of Port Arthur, formerly of New Orleans, was arrested for the homicide.

  • (14) Dec. 2 — Sharonn Laroyce Cole, 41, of Beaumont, shot multiple times and was found in the 400 block of Fort Worth Avenue near Procter Street.

The case remains under investigation.

Persons with information about any of these crimes can call PAPD at 983-8600 or Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas at 409-833-TIPS. You may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.