BATON ROUGE, La. (WVUE/Gray News) – A popular TikToker has been arrested on charges connected to the death of a therapist in Louisiana, officials said.
Terryon Ishmael Thomas, 20, a TikTok personality known as “Mr.Prada,” was arrested in connection with the homicide of 69-year-old Baton Rouge therapist Dr. William Nicholas “Nick” Abraham.
Thomas was arrested in Dallas on Tuesday afternoon.
The investigation began when Abraham’s body was found wrapped in a tarp and dumped in a ditch on Sunday in Louisiana along Highway 51 between Fluker and the Village of Tangipahoa.
Surveillance footage from a store in the area captured images of Thomas, who investigators believe was the last person seen driving Abraham’s vehicle.
Authorities attempted to stop the stolen vehicle on Monday afternoon in Baton Rouge, but the driver reportedly backed into an officer’s marked unit and fled. The officer later identified Thomas from a lineup as the driver.
Thomas is facing charges of aggravated criminal damage to property, resisting an officer, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
Thomas’ charges are related to the crashing of Abraham’s vehicle and of fleeing officers. So far, no one has been charged with Abraham’s death.
A spokesperson for Baton Rouge police confirmed Thomas’ TikTok username as “Mr.Prada.” Across two accounts on TikTok, Thomas has 8.2 million followers and over 550 million likes.
Abraham, a well-known Baton Rouge therapist and former Catholic priest, died from blunt force trauma to the head, neck, and shoulders, according to officials in Tangipahoa Parish.
Sheriff Gerald Sticker described the homicide as a “very physical, very violent death.”
Abraham’s body was found on Sunday morning by a passerby who noticed a suspicious tarp on the side of the highway. Detectives believe the body was dumped there on Saturday evening.
Investigators are still working to determine where the murder occurred. A search of Abraham’s home in Baton Rouge revealed no signs of a crime.
Abraham was a familiar face in the Baton Rouge area, having appeared on cable television as a mental health therapist.
His former attorney, Jarrett Ambeau, says he was shocked by the brutal nature of his death.
“I’m absolutely devastated and completely surprised that something like that could have happened to a man who I believed to be so tender, so gentle, and have such a servant’s heart,” Ambeau said.
In 2015, Abraham was accused of molesting an 11-year-old boy during a counseling session, WAFB reported.
The boy was allegedly so upset after the session that he told his family he “never wanted to see [Abraham] again.”
During a session with a new counselor, the boy told his new counselor about the alleged molestation by Abraham.
Abraham was arrested at the time and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison where he was later released after posting a $25,000 bond, records show.
However, prosecutors did not bring the case to trial.
“While there was probable cause for an arrest, my office had to determine if the evidence supported our burden at trial which is proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” District Attorney Hillar Moore told WAFB this week. “This matter was under review by my office for approximately two years. After considering all available evidence, the best interest of the child, and the lack of any inculpatory statements by the arrestee, we declined to institute formal charges.”
Ambeau represented Abraham in the 2015 case and said Thomas was not the alleged victim in the case.
“It’s unequivocally not him,” Ambeau told WAFB on Wednesday.
As of Wednesday, it’s unclear if Thomas was a patient of Abraham’s or what their connection is.
Thomas will now have to go before a judge in Texas for an extradition hearing. During that hearing, the judge will determine if he should be returned to Louisiana to face charges in the warrant from the Baton Rouge Police Department.
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