XPost: neworleans.general, alt.abortion, sac.politics
XPost: alt.war.civil.usa

https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/theadvocate.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/48/94892adc-0d4c-11e9-8160-eb7812198079/5c2a9a216414a.image.jpg?resize=543%2C536
Tyrone Fountain, via NOPD

Tyrone Fountain, 40, surrendered himself to New Orleans police on Monday night and was arrested in the fatal beating of a local talent agency owner, police said.

Police announced hours earlier that Fountain was wanted in the slaying of a woman whom a law enforcement source identified as 55-year-old Marla Belin.

Police accuse Fountain of snatching Belin’s purse about noon Dec. 17 in the 1700 block of North Dorgenois Street. He then slammed her body to the ground, hit her head on concrete several times and punched her, according to police.

Before Fountain surrendered himself to the police on Monday, he encountered a WDSU journalist and he told her about what happened. Fountain told the TV station he has epilepsy and has violent blackouts. He said he argued with Belin, who he knows, about
money before she let her dogs out and grabbed him, he claims.

"I turned around and I hit her," Fountain told WDSU. "They say I gave her a concussion and stuff. I don’t know what happened and stuff, but they say I got into a fight with her and stuff and she’s on the ground. They say she’s all busted up and
stuff."

The full video of that conversation can be found here.

Authorities said Fountain fled with Belin’s purse but was soon jailed on counts of simple robbery and simple battery.

Orleans Parish Magistrate Court Judge Harry Cantrell set Fountain’s bail at $20,000. Fountain later posted it to secure his release from jail, records show.

Belin was placed on life support following the attack and then removed from it Friday. Officials classified her death as a murder, leading to the upgrading of the criminal count against Fountain.

https://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/crime_police/man-arrested-in-fatal-beating-of-talent-agency-owner-in-new-orleans-he-confessed-to/article_82ee3afc-0d64-11e9-8cdc-7f2e66c619f2.html

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)