Deltra Henderson: Escaped Prisoner Kidnaps And Murders Warden’s Teenage Daughter, Amanda Leigh Carney

Deltra Henderson escaped from a prison in Louisiana, then kidnapped the warden’s teenage daughter and stabbed her to death, police in Louisiana say.

The 39-year-old Henderson was serving a 24-year sentence for attempted armed robbery, aggravated burglary, and cocaine distribution, KSLA reported. On Thursday, authorities said he managed to escape from the David Wade Correctional Center and then abducted 19-year-old Amanda Leigh Carney, the stepdaughter of an assistant prison warden. Carney lived on the prison grounds with her family, the report noted.

A manhunt for Henderson started just after 2 p.m. on Thursday when authorities said the prisoner escaped in a stolen car and crashed in a remote area near the prison. As authorities surveyed the crash site, they found the body of Amanda Leigh Carney, who they said had been stabbed to death.

Henderson continued to evade authorities, stealing another car and then entering another home near the prison where he found a firearm. The house was surrounded by prison guards, and a firefight ensued with the trapped suspect.

“Authorities worked to capture Henderson peacefully, but he fired shots at officers and they returned fire,” police said in a statement on Thursday (via KSLA).

Delta Henderson was shot and killed by police during the standoff.

The inmate crashed a stolen car where cops later found the warden's step-daughter stabbed to death inside https://t.co/meXlJhe7O1

— New York Post (@nypost) July 28, 2017

The death of Amanda Leigh Carney has struck hard in the small community, CBS News reported. The 19-year-old had a bright future and was set to enroll at Southern Arkansas University in the coming semester to study nursing.

“Everybody knows everybody (here),” said Sheriff Ken Bailey. “It’s just tragic.”

The principal at Carney’s high school told KSLA that she was a dedicated and well-liked student as well as a good athlete.

Authorities also said they were perplexed that Deltra Henderson would commit such a violent act. He was known as a trustworthy prisoner and had petitioned for a reduced sentence in 2015, telling a judge that he had completed programs to better himself, CBS News reported.

Henderson was convicted of a 1999 armed robbery at a home in Farmerville, CBS News noted. A 14-year-old girl and her mother were left with serious injuries from gunfire during that robbery, the report noted, though did not say if Henderson was the one responsible for that shooting.

A vigil is planned for Amanda Leigh Carney this week, and her funeral will take place early next week, reports claimed.

[Featured Image by grandriver/iStock]