A Cobb man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after fatally stabbing his influencer girlfriend over 80 times.
Cobb County District Court Judge Kimberly Childs handed 24-year-old Eugene Louis-Jacques a life term in prison without the possibility of parole for the brutal stabbing death of 22-year-old Beauty Couch. Louis-Jacques was found guilty and convicted of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, arson, concealing a death and tampering with evidence.
On August 23, 2023, authorities responded to a car set on fire in Austell, Georgia, after several reports. Upon arrival, they found the victim’s body set on fire in a wooded area near the vehicle’s location. Later, the autopsy report showed Couch had been stabbed 81 times.
Couch was a well-renowned roller skating influencer on Instagram who had amassed over 100,000 followers. Family members told investigators the defendant met Couch prior to his recent move to Georgia, according to WSB-TV.
Authorities discovered the defendant received traffic citations and other electronic evidence close to the location where Couch’s body was found. Soon, investigators tracked Louis-Jacques to Louisiana, where he fled after the murder. When accosted by officers, the defendant provided a fake name, but was later arrested.
During the trial, his lawyer, Bryan Lumpkin, argued that all the evidence against his client was circumstantial. Furthermore, he argued that investigators never found any blood evidence in Louis-Jacques’ vehicle, nor on his clothing.
“There was no direct evidence linking him to the victim’s brutal murder. We don’t deny, we know it was horrible. There are a lot of things about this evidence that are consistent with my client being guilty here, but that’s not proved beyond a reasonable doubt,” said Lumpkin, according to Court TV.
The motive for the killing remains unclear.
Childs sentenced Louis-Jacques to an additional 20 years in prison.
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