3 from Louisiana charged in abduction

Published 1:29 pm Friday, October 17, 2008

Three people were being held without bond on federal kidnapping charges after an alleged abduction in New Orleans ended in Mississippi with one man dead and another injured.

The two men and woman, all from New Orleans, were earlier charged with capital murder by Jackson County authorities following their arrests last week. They also face other charges, authorities said.

Eddie James Pugh IV, Barron LeCour Borden and Toerenda Andrea Brooks-Whitmore were arrested following an investigation by federal and local authorities, Frederick T. Brink, special agent in charge of the FBI in Mississippi, said Wednesday. A federal detention hearing has been scheduled for Thursday.

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Pugh, 30; Borden, 33; and Brooks-Whitmore, 39, were arrested shortly after the Oct. 8 kidnapping of Rahman MoGilles and Byron Kelsey McCoy. The three are accused of beating the two victims at Pugh’s New Orleans home and then driving the victims in MoGilles’ vehicle to the Mississippi coast.

Borden and Pugh are accused of being in the car with the kidnapping victims during the drive to Jackson County, while Brooks-Whitmore, identified as Pugh’s girlfriend, allegedly followed in a second vehicle.

Jackson County sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 caller who had heard gunshots near the Latimer community, which is about 90 miles from New Orleans, just north of Interstate 10.

Sheriff Mike Byrd said deputies found a partially burned SUV with Louisiana tags.

The body of one victim with a gunshot wound to the head, later identified as McCoy, was found inside the vehicle. MoGilles was found farther down the rural road and was hospitalized for a gunshot wound.

Byrd said after the area was cordoned off, Pugh and Borden were found hiding in a ditch and were arrested. Brooks-Whitmore was later stopped and arrested.