The man accused of killing a Louisiana state trooper earlier this week has now been charged with the murder of a second man — his roommate — authorities said on Thursday.
The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office announced via Facebook that Kevin Daigle has been charged with second-degree murder, motor vehicle theft and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection to the late Blake Brewer.
The sheriff’s office had earlier said Daigle was driving Brewer’s truck when Louisiana state Trooper Steven Vincent was shot Sunday after coming upon Daigle stuck in a ditch with the pickup in Lake Charles.
Vincent, a 44-year-old father and veteran trooper, died of his injuries the next day.
And after that, Daigle was charged with first-degree murder.
During an interview with Daigle, investigators were led to believe that Daigle had an altercation with Brewer that led to Brewer’s death, police said.
Also on Monday, sheriff’s deputies found Brewer’s body in his home in Moss Bluff, a community of some 11,500 people located 75 miles west of Lafayette and just north of Lake Charles.
Authorities had been looking for the 54-year-old that morning after his employer called police to say he hadn’t come to work and had not called in sick, which was apparently unusual for Brewer.
Those authorities were headed to Brewer’s home when state police related what Daigle had said regarding an altercation.
“Once deputies arrived on the scene,” the sheriff’s office said, “they forced entry into the house and found the victim deceased.”
No definitive motive has been given for either killing, of Vincent or Brewer. Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso said Monday it wasn’t clear if Daigle was staying with Brewer on a permanent or temporary basis.
But one piece of evidence appears to connect the two incidents — the murder weapons.
“Detectives firmly believe the same shotgun was used in both homicides,” the sheriff’s office said Thursday. “However, the shotgun will be processed by the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab for further testing.”