BATON ROUGE, La. (WVUE/WAFB/Gray News) – A popular TikToker has now been charged with second-degree murder in the death of a therapist in Louisiana, officials said.
Terryon Ishmael Thomas, 20, a TikTok personality known as “Mr.Prada,” was charged 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 after police say he fled Louisiana after the murder.
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.
For that, Thomas is also facing charges of aggravated criminal damage to property, resisting an officer, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
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.
Officials said investigators found that Abraham was killed inside Thomas’ apartment.
Surveillance video reportedly captured Abraham arriving at Thomas’ apartment complex on Mancuso Lane in Baton Rouge around 11 a.m. on Saturday. The next day, Abraham’s body was found wrapped in a tarp in a ditch along Highway 51 between Fluker and the Village of Tangipahoa.
According to the arrest warrant, beneath the blue tarp was a gray comforter duct-taped around Abraham’s body, with his head covered in a dark towel. He was found in the same clothes he had on when he arrived at Thomas’ apartment.
When detectives searched Thomas’ apartment, they found a “significant amount of blood” throughout the apartment, along with “multiple sharp objects and other weapons.”
The warrant claims Thomas tried to clean the scene and discard additional evidence.
Witnesses reported seeing Thomas dragging an object wrapped in a tarp hours after Abraham arrived. He appeared to be struggling while dragging the object down the stairs. Thomas then loaded the tarp into Abraham’s vehicle, according to the warrant.
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.
The relationship between Thomas and Abraham as well as a motive are still under investigation. Officials say they do not believe Thomas was a client of the victim.
Thomas will be extradited to East Baton Rouge at a later date.
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