Triple murder in Louisiana Homeless campan allegedly stolen bicycle, underscores the dangers inherent in these camps — not just for their residents, but also for those living in surrounding communities, one expert told Fox News Digital.
On April 3, 44-year-old Mindy Ann Robert, 33-year-old Marcy Vincent, and 53-year-old Warren Fairley were found dead, all He shot several timesat a makeshift campsite, hidden from view on a vacant lot in Jefferson Parish, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said.
Crime in these camps is a growing concern across the country, which has witnessed a widespread outbreak 18.1% increase in homelessness in 2024 According to a December report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Federal officials have cited the rising number of asylum seekers, lack of affordable housing and natural disasters as reasons for the increase in homelessness.
“These homeless encampments pose a health threat and a safety threat to the general public,” Mark Powell, a former San Diego reserve police officer who oversaw the Monarch School for homeless youth in the city while on the city school board, told Fox News Digital. “It is the duty, it is the duty of our city leaders, our elected politicians, to do everything they can within the law to eliminate these encampments and provide the people living in the encampments with the dignity they deserve through some type of shelter program.”
Noel Marin faces three counts of first-degree murder and one count of obstruction of justice. (Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office)
In the Louisiana case, Noel Marin, who was known to visit victims at the camp site, was arrested and faces three counts of first-degree murder and obstruction of justice in their deaths. It is currently underway He is being held on $100,000 bailaccording to court records.
Investigators believe Vincent and Robert were homeless and living in the camp, while Fairley lived in a house nearby. Robert's family assumed she lived in the area because they had recently seen her begging on a nearby street corner, NOLA.com reported.
“Periodically, other people would stay (in the camp) and use drugs.” Ryan Foote testified during a hearing on Nov. 19 in Jefferson Parish Court.
A man who was dating one of the victims allegedly called 911 around 9:40 a.m. when he found the three bodies.
People living in a homeless encampment pick up their belongings after Louisiana State Police instructed them to move to a different pre-determined location as they conducted a sweep before a Taylor Swift concert in New Orleans on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Marin (55 years old) became the main suspect after his fingerprint was also found on a metal folding chair at the site. His fingerprints were in the National Combined DNA Index System due to previous convictions, including four counts of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and other drug charges.
He was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in April 2005. At the time of the shooting, he was wanted for truancy in court on a theft case after allegedly stealing from a Walmart in February of this year, court records show.
Marine allegedly claimed he was staying at a friend's house in Metairie at the time of the shooting, but his alibi was torn up after the friend told investigators Marine wasn't there.
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Mindy Ann Robert, 44, was one of the victims of the triple homicide. (Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office)
Although gunfire was heard in the area around 1 or 2 a.m., according to Foote, no one saw the killings occur. However, the Marine boyfriend gave a statement to police after confessing to the murders, Foote testified.
After he was brought in for a second round of questioning, the Marines claimed that another man had shot the three victims. He said he was talking to the man he encountered at camp after the Marine stole his bike. The other man brandished a gun, and the Marine entered the camp site to retrieve the stolen property, according to the Marine, who said he then heard gunfire.
However, police have not named the accused Marine, and no one else has been arrested in the murders.
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Marcy Vincent, 33, was shot April 3 at the Old Jefferson homeless encampment where she lived. (Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office)
Powell said the incident is the latest example of the government's commitment to regulating homeless encampments.
“In this case, three people were killed. That doesn't mean that someone jogging in the park or jogging near a homeless encampment can become a victim just as easily,” Powell told Fox News Digital.
“It's the city's duty. If they're going to allow homeless encampments like this, it's their duty to make sure they're cleaned, that they're organized, and that there's some sort of law enforcement presence that the homeless frequent. We camp on a regular basis,” Powell said.
Warren Fairley, 53, worked as a cook at a nearby restaurant, his family told The Times-Picayune. Police said he regularly visited the homeless camp before he was shot there on April 3. (Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office)
He continued: “Not once a month or when they get a call, but they have to have some kind of security there.” “(Otherwise) you're going to end up with more of these incidents where there's rape, murder, assault, battery, theft, rampant drug dealing — that's what you'll find in these homeless camps.”
“A lot of people don't even want to run in the park because they know there's a homeless encampment there, and they're afraid — the people who commit crimes are the ones who control the property,” Powell said. “They don't pay taxes, they don't do anything yet. (But) the people who pay taxes and don't commit crimes are the ones who are affected.”
Fox News Digital's Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
