New Orleans Police and Fire Briefs

Police arrest suspect in beating death

NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans police on Friday arrested a suspect accused of beating a man to death, digging his grave and burying him.

Police arrested Michael Vicknair, 35, of St. Bernard Parish, on counts of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice in the death of Jeffrey Bonck Sr., 53, from New Orleans East, a news release from the New Orleans Police Department says.

Vicknair is accused of burying Bonck, who was reported missing in August, in a wooded area in St. Bernard Parish, the release says.

Through interviews and a tip, New Orleans police developed Vicknair as a suspect, and learned that the remains of a New Orleans murder victim had been buried in a particular wooded area of St. Bernard Parish, the release says.

Authorities began digging in the area, the release says, and on Tuesday, they uncovered human remains at the site.

A coroner’s test later identified the body as Bonck’s.

Vicknair previously has been arrested on counts of aggravated battery, contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, child desertion and driving on a suspended driver’s license.

Compiled by the
New Orleans bureau