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Married dad, 36, and female entrepreneur, 31, both meet tragic end after two boats collide on Louisiana lake

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Married dad, 36, and female entrepreneur, 31, both meet tragic end after two boats collide on Louisiana lake


A married father and a female boat passenger were killed in a accident on a Louisiana lake after their boats collided. 

Chase Sharkey, 36, of Greensburg, was operating a 25-foot pontoon boat when it collided with Thuy Gustin’s Sea Fox boat in the Tickfaw River near Kings Point, roughly 65 miles outside of New Orleans, on Sunday. 

Gustin, 31, of Springfield, was found trapped underneath the Sea Fox around midnight after it capsized by a Good Samaritan, who jumped into the water to save her, according to Fox 8 Live. She ran her own marketing firm. 

They performed CPR on the mother-of-two until an ambulance arrived and she was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. 

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Sharkey, a father of four, was found deceased by rescue crews 12 hours later. 

Gustin, 31, (pictured) was found trapped underneath the Sea Fox after it capsized by a Good Samaritan, who jumped into the water to save her

Chase Sharkey, 36, of Greensburg, (left) was operating a 25-foot pontoon boat when it collided with Thuy Gustin’s Sea Fox boat in the Tickfaw River near Kings Point on Sunday. Gustin, 31, of Springfield, (right) was found trapped underneath the Sea Fox after it capsized by a Good Samaritan, who jumped into the water to save her

It is unclear if his wife, Shelly Verberne Sharkey, was on the boat. One friend suggested she was, but further details have not been shared. 

DailyMail.com has reached to Shelly for comment.  

Six others – three from each boat – were injured in the crash and all were taken to the hospital with serious injuries, according to WDSU. 

The cause the crash is currently unknown. DailyMail.com has contacted the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, who are investigating the crash, for comment. 

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Six others - three from each boat - were injured in the crash and all were taken to the hospital with serious injuries

Six others – three from each boat – were injured in the crash and all were taken to the hospital with serious injuries

Plenty of tributes came in for the father-of-four, including from his business, Sharkey Mechanical Services, which wrote in a Facebook post: ‘His legacy of love, laughter, and friendship will never fade. We will continue to keep his memory alive through our work.

‘Chase’s unwavering passion for his craft left an indelible mark on everyone he met, and his work ethic was unmatched. We will miss him dearly, but we will continue to thrive in his honor and the legacy he has built.’ 

Friend, Jonathan Taylor wrote on Facebook: ‘Chase Sharkey was truly one of a kind. The first time I met him he made me feel like we had been friends since childhood. Chase was a true father and husband. I didn’t get to spend much time around his family but I knew they were his number one priority just by the conversations we had. Chase was also a staple in his church and his community.

Sharkey, a father of four, (pictured with his family) was found deceased by rescue crews 12 hours later

Sharkey, a father of four, (pictured with his family) was found deceased by rescue crews 12 hours later 

It is unclear if his wife, Shelly Verberne Sharkey (pictured together), was on the boat. One friend suggested she was, but further details have not been shared

It is unclear if his wife, Shelly Verberne Sharkey (pictured together), was on the boat. One friend suggested she was, but further details have not been shared

‘I’m thankful I got to know him over the past 4 years and I think we can all learn from Chase and how he lived his 36 years on this earth.’

Another friend, Erin Foster, wrote: ‘To know him was to love him. Chase Sharkey was a great friend…One thing for certain is he loved his wife, his kids, his family, and everyone else’s babies also.’

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Former Livingston Parish President Layton Ricks said in a statement: ‘He loved life. You knew where you stood with Chase and when you were a friend you were a friend. His word was his bond, and he was honest, sincere and trustworthy.

‘His friendship was genuine and I will be forever grateful for it. One of the things outside of his family, work and weightlifting we always talked about was being saved and he truly was. So I know without a shadow of doubt he would tell me: “Boss don’t worry about me big dog cause I’m sitting here talking with Jesus so I’m good.” 

‘I will miss you my friend and forever be thankful for your friendship all these years. Love you buddy!’ 

Friends remembered Gustin as 'so full of life and always ready for the next adventure'

Friends remembered Gustin as ‘so full of life and always ready for the next adventure’ 

A GoFundMe has been set up for the Gustin's funeral services, which has raised more than $14,000 out of its $25,000 goal

A GoFundMe has been set up for the Gustin’s funeral services, which has raised more than $14,000 out of its $25,000 goal 

An equal number of tributes poured in for the mother-of-two, with friend Lindsay Picou writing: ‘Thuy…I’m still in disbelief.

‘I knew I was going to love you from the moment I met you. You were so full of life and always ready for the next adventure. But even with all of that spirit, you led with nothing but heart. You loved everyone around you so deeply, and made sure they knew it.’ 

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Another friend, Kendra M. Berthelot wrote on Facebook: ‘Carrying a heavy heart today. My beautiful girl, you will be so missed. I don’t even have the words to say. I love you. Rest easy, Angel.’

A GoFundMe has been set up for the Gustin’s funeral services, which has raised more than $14,000 out of its $25,000 goal. 

A Meal Train has been set up for the Sharkey Family, with nearly $3,000 in donations and plenty of meals going to the surviving family. 



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Louisiana

Port of South Louisiana welcomes new leadership

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Port of South Louisiana welcomes new leadership


Julia Fisher-Cormier. (Courtesy)



The Port of South Louisiana on Thursday announced that Julia Fisher-Cormier has been selected as its new executive director.

The announcement follows a national search and a unanimous vote of a…


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Louisiana

AG Liz Murrill’s office can hire husband’s law firm to defend death sentences, court rules

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AG Liz Murrill’s office can hire husband’s law firm to defend death sentences, court rules


Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office can employ the Baton Rouge law firm where her husband is a partner to help the agency defend death sentences, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

The decision in the case of condemned inmate Darrell Draughn of Caddo Parish clears the way for Murrill’s office to employ the Taylor Porter firm in other capital post-conviction cases as well.

Murrill has stepped into a host of post-conviction cases involving death row prisoners since Louisiana resumed executions in the spring after a 15-year hiatus. The Republican attorney general has said she’s intent on speeding up their path to the execution chamber, and a recent state law that Murrill supported forces many long-dormant challenges forward.

With the ruling, Taylor Porter attorneys are expected to enroll in more capital post-conviction cases for the attorney general. The firm currently represents the state in four such cases, according to Murrill’s office, under a contract that allows it to charge up to $350 hourly.

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Among them is the case of former New Orleans Police Department officer Antoinette Frank, the only condemned woman in Louisiana.

Murrill’s husband, John Murrill, is one of about three dozen partners in the Taylor Porter firm. Capital defense advocates argued that the arrangement amounts to a conflict of interest.

Ethics experts say state law requires a higher stake than John Murrill’s 2.7% share of Taylor Porter to amount to a conflict. The state Ethics Board agreed in an advisory opinion in June, which the high court cited in its opinion.

The Louisiana Supreme Court earlier this year cleared Murrill’s office to represent the state in capital post-conviction cases when a district attorney requests it. Its ruling on Tuesday makes clear that the attorney general can outsource the work.

“Taylor Porter has been selected by the Attorney General pursuant to her clear statutory authority to hire private counsel to defend the warden and state. There is little as fundamental to a litigant as one’s ability to select the counsel of your choice,” the court stated.

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Murrill says the government work done by Taylor Porter has been carved out from their income since she took office early last year.

“Neither my husband nor I profit off of this work. We won’t be deterred from our mission to see that justice is served, despite frivolous bad faith attacks from anti-death penalty lawyers,” Murrill said Tuesday in a statement.

Defense advocates, however, point to reduced funding for capital defense and a higher workload under the deadlines of the new state law. They say the state is paying outside lawyers at three times the rate of capital appeals attorneys.

“It’s just outrageous,” said James Boren, immediate past president of the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

“What is absurd is after the attorney general and governor and legislature decrease funding for capital defense, increase the workload, decrease the amount of time to do it, the attorney general’s husband’s law firm is awarded a contract for hundreds of thousands of dollars for less work.” 

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Prosecutors and capital defense attorneys both say it’s unusual to see a private law firm step into a post-conviction proceeding for the state. Taylor Porter is one of three contractors doing post-conviction work for Murrill’s office, according to state records show.

While the court freed the firm, one of its lawyers remains barred from representing Murrill’s office on those cases. The ethics board found that Grant Willis, who previously led appeals for the attorney general, must sit out for two years. The blackout period for Willis ends next month.



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Louisiana

Goon Squad victim arrested by Louisiana Police, held without bond on multiple charges

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Goon Squad victim arrested by Louisiana Police, held without bond on multiple charges


TALLULAH, La. (WLBT) – One of the two Goon Squad victims who later won a civil suit against Rankin County and the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department was arrested by the Louisiana State Police Wednesday night.

According to officials, Eddie Terrell Parker is currently being held in the Madison Parish Jail without bond on at least two pages of charges.

These charges include multiple narcotics violations, possession with intent to distribute, felon in possession of a firearm, and carrying a concealed weapon.

No other information has been released at this time.

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This is a developing story. More updates will come as further information is released.

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