This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.
Jonovon Parker

NEW ORLEANS – An arrest has been made in the murder of an 18-year-old man whose unique wake went viral earlier this year.

Nineteen-year-old Jonovan Parker has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder for the killing of Renard Matthews on June 25, according to the NOPD.

Detectives issued an arrest warrant for Parker on October 31, and he was arrested on November 10 after an investigation lead to his identification as the prime suspect.

Matthews’ family had his body prepared at the Charbonnet Labat Glapion Funeral Home in Treme, and they chose to display Matthews in the way they remembered him.

Matthews was sitting in a chair with a video game controller in his hand, surrounded by his favorite snacks, and in front of his beloved Boston Celtics on a nearby television screen.

Matthews’ mother Temeka said her son was a bit of a homebody who had only recently started to venture out to walk the dog she’d recently gotten him when he was murdered.

Temeka Matthews also said that her son was a big fan of Celtics guard Kyrie Irving, who was featured prominently on the socks Renard Matthews wore during the wake.

Images and video from the funeral home went viral, with Irving expressing his condolences on social media.