Police in Louisiana have arrested two men they believe were involved in the gruesome killing of 25-year-old Ja’Riel Sam, who was shot in the head on Sunday morning, Oxygen reported.


The killing is still being investigated by detectives, but video evidence and other clues indicate that 37-year-old Corrie Wallace shot the young mother in the head after she managed to escape his trunk following an assault and kidnapping.

In a statement from the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office in LaPlace, Louisiana, Sheriff Mike Tregre explained that police believe Wallace went to Sam's apartment on Linda Lane late Saturday night before assaulting her around 3 a.m. 

According to Tregre, something went wrong before Wallace allegedly attacked Sam while her 4-year-old son was in the apartment. Wallace took Sam, who was naked, and put her into the trunk of her car and drove away. Police found a gas canister in the front seat of the car. 


Sam managed to escape from the trunk of the car as Wallace was driving and began to run away. Wallace crashed her car on Belle Terre Boulevard and chased her to a vacant lot, where he allegedly shot her in the head. 

Police say video evidence from a nearby camera captured the scene and showed Wallace fleeing from the vehicle on foot, throwing the gun into a canal near the scene of the crime. 

According to the police report, they were originally called around 3:30 a.m. because a passerby suspected there had been a hit-and-run. Police quickly understood more of what happened once they watched the video and video from near Sam's apartment. 

Within hours of the shooting, Wallace turned himself in and confessed to shooting Sam, according to Oxygen. He has been charged with first-degree murder. On Tuesday, police identified 36-year-old Kevin Hollinger as an accomplice to the murder, and he was arrested and charged with being a principal to first-degree murder, Nola.com reported.


While at first it was unclear how Wallace and Sam were connected, police now believe the two were friends. After further investigation, police discovered that Hollinger was tailing Sam's car before the incident and that he was a co-worker of Wallace. 

Police believe he was connected to what Wallace had planned for Sam. Motives for the attack are unknown as of now. 

According to Oxygen, Sam's young son is staying with relatives.