NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — It has been three years since Lurine LaBeaud-Duncan laid her son Gregory Heisser III and his fiancé, Darnisha Desilva, to rest.
Though time has passed, the grief is too heavy to bear.
“There’s so many times where I just want to pick up the phone, or I have picked up the phone to call and I realize that nobody’s going to be on the other end of that call,” said LaBeaud-Duncan.
23-year-old Gregory and 22-year-old Darnisha were brutally murdered on October 9, 2018. Two of their three young children were there when their parents were shot to death.
“My grandson, he’s four now, Thomas, was in my son’s arms when he was killed. He was shot multiple times. and his daughter was also at his side playing with her doll. I’ll never forget those images and that’s his last moments with his kids,” said LaBeaud-Duncan.
Police say on the day of the murders, Kenneth Augustine, an ex-boyfriend of Darnisha’s sister, showed up at the family’s Little Woods home.
Witnesses say Kenneth and Gregory got into an argument, then Kenneth left and came back shortly after, killing both Gregory and Darnisha.
Kenneth turned himself in and was charged with two counts of second-degree murder.
Police later charged Kenneth’s mother, Barbara Augustine, and his sister, Michelle Augustine, with accessory after the fact. The women are accused of helping Kenneth flee the scene and still haven’t been arrested.
“It was more of assisting and rescuing her son, rather than the bigger picture of having resolution. How could you? How could you?” said LaBeaud-Duncan.
Now, Gregory and Darnisha’s three children are being raised by their grandmother. The family tries to keep their parent’s memories alive. LaBeaud and her family know that the suspected shooter is behind bars, but they say they can’t get closure until the two other suspects are held accountable.
LaBeaud-Duncan is asking anyone who knows where Barbara and Michelle Augustine are to contact the police. LaBeaud-Duncan says the trial for the murders starts next month on November 9.