Three indicted in BR slaying

Three Baton Rouge men were indicted Wednesday in the Dec. 16 shooting death of a 26-year-old man on Tracy Avenue.

An East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury charged David Betz, 20; Reshaud Johnson, 28; and Corderrius Mitchell, 21, with one count each of second-degree murder in the killing of Fausto David Ortiz-Herrera.

The grand jury also indicted Betz, 3725 Sarasota Drive; Johnson, 3317 Kimberly Drive; and Mitchell, 3375 Courtland Drive, on one count each of attempted armed robbery.

Ortiz-Herrera’s body was found near his home in the 9400 block of Tracy Avenue.

While investigating the shooting, deputies spotted a silver Ford Crown Victoria parked near the tree line on Sunnybrook Drive behind Tracy Avenue and pursued the car until it stopped in the 3300 block of Crestaire Drive, where the occupants ran away, East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s officials have said.

Deputies found Louisiana identification cards inside the Crown Victoria and other documents left near the vehicle belonging to Betz and Mitchell.

A Sheriff’s Office affidavit says DNA found inside the car matched the DNA of Betz, who was arrested in May. DNA found in the vehicle also led to the January arrest of Johnson, sheriff’s officials have said. Mitchell was arrested three days after the shooting.

A second-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

The case has been assigned to state District Judge Mike Erwin.