11-year-old boy confesses to murder of former mayor, daughter in Louisiana

The incident occurred on Sunday morning when officers responded to the scene and found former Louisiana Mayor Joe Cornelius Sr., 82, and his daughter, Keisha Miles, 31, dead from multiple gunshot wounds.

Minden Police Chief Jared McIver stated that two handguns were used in the shooting, and the magazines were emptied. The firearms were later discovered hidden on the property, with calibers matching the shell casings found at the scene. A 6-year-old was also present in the home at the time of the shooting but was not harmed.

The boy, a relative of Cornelius, initially provided a story that "just didn’t add up," according to McIver. However, he eventually confessed to the shooting. Due to his age, further details about his relationship with Cornelius have not been disclosed. The child is facing two counts of first-degree murder, and his bond has been set at $500,000. Police did not elaborate on how the child accessed the firearms.

McIver noted that the boy did not display any signs of remorse during his interview with the police. “What I would say would be remorseful — sadness, sorrowful, apology, crying — none of those things happened,” McIver said while acknowledging that people can express grief in different ways.

Miles’ mother declined to comment on the situation, saying she was heartbroken but was advised by law enforcement to not speak publicly, according to NBC News.

Cornelius was a former city council member and a deputy ward marshal for the Webster Parish Sheriff's Office. He had served as interim mayor in 2013 after the death of the sitting mayor. Minden Mayor Nick Cox released a statement honoring Cornelius's memory, saying, “Joe Cornelius’s years of service to Minden were marked by his commitment and dedication to the betterment of our community.”

“Let us come together as a community to honor Joe’s memory and support one another through this time of grief,” he added.