GUILTY LA - Leon Rachal, 82, Ponchatoula, 19 Jan 2011

Donjeta

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HAMMOND, LA (WAFB) - Investigators have found the burned-out car of an 82-year-old man who has been missing for a week, but the whereabouts of the victim remain unknown. A suspect was arrested for allegedly breaking into the man's home the same day he went missing.

According to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, Leon Rachal of Ponchatoula was last seen at home by relatives on Jan. 19. His 2004 Chevy Cavalier was located in a remote wooded area off LA 442 in Livingston Parish. It was completely burned.

13920248_BG2.jpg


Rachal is 5'4", weighs 150 pounds and needs daily medical attention. Foul play is suspected. The arrestee is Wesley Smith Jr., 32.
http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=13920248
 
I hope they find him but it doesn't sound good. It seems like there's a pattern here with elderly people missing and cars/RV's found burned.

Prayers to the family...
 
Our nations elderly are just as vulnerable as our children :(
 
Prayers for Mr. Rachal. The trend in burning/arson is really disturbing. On a personal level, I have a close family member that is a firefighter. These criminals put so many of our loved ones in danger,too, as well as the whole innocent community.
 
http://www.amitetoday.com/view/full...-burned--man-arrested?instance=home_news_lead

During the course of this investigation, detectives with the assistance from the TPSO Mounted Search and Rescue Team and LASAR Cadaver Dogs, searched several areas of interest for Rachal’s body to no avail. This Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office and the LA. State Fire Marshall is also assisting the TPSO in this investigation.

So Glad They are actively searching with trained dog teams...
 
Man faces murder charge with no body

A man originally arrested for allegedly breaking into a missing elderly man's home has now been charged with that man's murder, but authorities have not found the victim's body.

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office said Wesley Smith Jr., 32, of Hammond, faces a first-degree murder charge for the apparent death of Leon Rachal, 82, of Ponchatoula.

More: http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=14368221
 
Rest in peace.

Despite Smith’s arrest and the uncovering of Rachal’s body, Edwards said the investigation will continue and more arrests are possible.

More arrests? So there may have been more than just one person attacking this man?
 
From October 2012:

http://dev.actionnews17.com/News/Al...d-to-20-years-but-murder-charges-dropped.aspx

Wesley Smith Jr. of Hammond, charged with second degree murder for the death of Leon Rachal of Ponchatoula in 2011, was sentenced to 20 years in state prison Tuesday on separate charges of simple burglary and possession of stolen property that were filed in connection with Rachal's murder...

Assistant District Attorney LeAnne Malnar told Judge Brenda Bedsole Ricks during a hearing for Smith that the district attorney's office made the offer to drop the murder charge in exchange for the guilty pleas...

Athmann found a promissory note in Rachal's dresser drawer in the amount of $5,000 for the purchase of a pickup truck. The note, dated Feb. 12, 2008, was for Smith, who agreed to pay Rachal, a no-nonsense businessman, $138.89 per month... Detectives checked Smith's truck and found neckties, a VCR, a DVD, a camera, two credit cards belonging to Rachal, a Timex watch with blood on the face, a bloodstained sheet and a cell phone... Smith had used Rachal's credit cards to withdraw $1,200 from his account.
 

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