WAGGAMAN, LA – Police say a domestic dispute in a suburban New Orleans community ended in tragedy Tuesday night when a woman allegedly stabbed and ran over her husband, leaving him dead at the scene.
Authorities with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office responded around 10 p.m. to a report of a vehicle crash in Waggaman, just west of New Orleans, where they discovered a man suffering multiple stab wounds. According to investigators, the man, later identified as 68-year-old Sebastian King, was unresponsive and was pronounced dead shortly after deputies arrived.
Law enforcement officials stated that Carmella Motley, 65, was found at the scene alongside her husband and informed deputies that she was his wife. Sheriff’s deputies say an altercation broke out between the couple while they were driving through the area, leading to the violent incident.
Detectives believe the disturbance escalated as the two traveled together, resulting in Motley allegedly attacking King with a weapon before hitting him with their SUV. King’s fatal injuries were attributed to both sharp-force trauma from stabbing and blunt-force trauma consistent with being struck by a vehicle, a determination made by the Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office.
No additional details were released regarding the cause of the dispute or what prompted the escalation from argument to violence inside the vehicle. Officials did not provide further information about what may have led to the stabbing or the subsequent striking with the vehicle.
Community members were left shocked by the news. King, a grandfather of five, was widely known in the local area through his work as a delivery driver for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans. Several residents remembered him as a friendly face during his regular stops, including at God’s House Church in nearby Marrero, which announced plans for a memorial service in his honor.
Motley has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with her husband’s death. She was booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center, where she is being held on $500,000 bond. Jail records show no attorney listed for Motley as of Thursday morning.
The incident remains under investigation by the sheriff’s office, with authorities continuing to gather details to determine the full sequence of events. No further information about prior domestic issues between the couple has been released.
The community is preparing to honor King’s memory in the coming days as friends and family come to terms with the devastating loss.