10-year-old boy confessed to killing former Louisiana mayor and his daughter, police say

A 10-year-old boy is in custody after he confessed to fatally shooting a former Louisiana mayor and his adult daughter, a police official said Monday.

Joe Cornelius Sr., 82, and Keisha Miles, 31, were found dead Sunday morning after officers were dispatched to the former official’s home in Minden, a city of nearly 12,000 east of Shreveport, the city’s police chief said.

Police Chief Jared McIver identified the boy as a relative of Cornelius’ but declined to provide additional details and said authorities have not determined a possible motive.

“Our city is in shock,” McIver said. “How does a 10-year-old commit something so malicious?”

The boy is being held on two counts of first-degree murder, McIver said. He said it was unclear whether the child has a lawyer to speak on his behalf.

The bodies of Cornelius and Miles were found with multiple gunshot wounds, said McIver, who said that two handguns were used and that their magazines were emptied.

A 6-year-old child who was at the home at the time of the shooting was not injured, McIver said.

The older boy initially provided a different account of the deaths but by Sunday afternoon had confessed to the shooting, McIver said. 

His grandmother was with him at the time of the confession, McIver said.

Cornelius was a well-known community activist, City Council member and deputy ward marshal for the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office, NBC affiliate KTAL of Shreveport reported.

In 2013, while on the City Council, Cornelius was appointed interim mayor after the mayor died in office, the station reported.

In a statement Sunday, Minden Mayor Nick Cox said he was grateful for Cornelius’ friendship and “the many ways he supported me and others in our city.”

“Joe Cornelius’s years of service to Minden were marked by his commitment and dedication to the betterment of our community,” Cox said, adding: “Let us come together as a community to honor Joe’s memory and support one another through this time of grief.”