Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘Home on the Rage’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Who Hired the Hitman?’ delves deep into the 2010 killing of Ernest Luttrell in his house in Keithville, Louisiana. As the detectives investigated the murder, they uncovered some dark family secrets that ultimately led them to the perpetrator/s involved in a deadly plot. The documentary also features exclusive and insightful interviews with Ernest’s loved ones and the officials linked to the investigation.
Ernest Luttrell Was Fatally Shot at His Home While His Wife Was at Church
Claud and Ludie Wilson Luttrell welcomed their son, Ernest Luttrell, on September 11, 1936, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was brought up in a warm household, filled with togetherness and love. Growing up, he made memorable memories with his sister, Mildred Luttrell Jackson. Ernest was a hardworking and bright individual who enlisted in the military as a young man. The veteran also served in the Korean War as a paratrooper. Following that, according to reports, he was employed at an auto dealership and later at the Borden Milk company. After working for decades to build a fulfilling life for himself and his family, he embraced retirement.
On the personal front, Ernest was married to Bobbie Loretta Moore Luttrell. Together, they were parents to a daughter named Linda Kate Passaniti, whom they affectionately referred to as Katey. Ernest was a devoted father and husband as well as a reputed member of the community in Keithville, Louisiana. Everything seemed fine until everything changed for the Luttrells on July 25, 2010, when his wife called the authorities to report a tragedy. According to reports, she informed the police that she had attended the church that Sunday morning, and on her return, she discovered Ernest dead in their kitchen.
Loretta also added that some of his firearms were missing from the house, along with his truck. Upon reaching their residence at 12200 block of Greenwood-Springridge Road, the authorities declared that Ernest had been fatally shot. They found no indications of struggle or forced entry. Additionally, shell casings were absent from the scene, but boot prints were located and logged. The cause of death of the 73-year-old was determined to be multiple gunshot wounds to his head and upper torso. The police wasted no time and swiftly began an investigation into Ernest Luttrell’s murder.
Four Individuals Were Involved in the Planned Murder of Ernest Luttrell
Since the authorities were informed about Ernest Luttrell’s demise by his wife, Loretta Luttrell, they interviewed her as part of their investigation. She claimed that she had returned home from church to find her husband deceased in their house on 12200 Greenwood-Springridge Road in Keithville, Louisiana. As the investigation progressed, the detectives spoke with Ernest’s friends and acquaintances, including his farmhand, Chris Tope, and his girlfriend, Tina Vanmoerkerque, who also served as the housekeeper for the Luttrells. Soon, the investigators were led to an unemployed blue-collar worker named Erick Crain, who used to work at a mechanic’s body shop. When he was questioned, Erick told the authorities that Tina had hired him to kill Ernest. After taking him into custody, the police brought Tina in for questioning again.
At the time, she claimed that she shared an intimate moment with Erick the night before the crime. According to her, she dropped him off on Walker Road near the Luttrell residence the following morning. Despite her claims of innocence, the authorities had enough evidence to charge her with first-degree murder in connection with Ernest’s killing. Upon digging deeper into Ernest and Loretta Luttrell’s life and marriage, the detectives found out that they weren’t legally married, and Katey was not Ernest’s biological daughter. After connecting Loretta to Ernest’s death, they arrested her right after his funeral service on July 29, 2010, and charged her with first-degree murder. By then, the investigators had theorized that Loretta had asked her househelp, Tina, to find someone who could kill her husband for $1,000.
Tina then allegedly reached out to Erick, who agreed to become the hitman. When Ernest refused to pay a significant amount of money to Loretta’s daughter, Katey, the mother allegedly began plotting the murder so that she could provide Katey the money she needed by selling his property. As more evidence of manipulation in Ernest’s finances before and after his demise came to the surface, the detectives also linked Loretta’s daughter, Katey, to the crime. Therefore, several months after Ernest’s death, Katey was arrested on March 22, 2012, for murder, conspiracy, and forgery. After she refused to waive her right to extradition, she was returned to Louisiana to be formally charged with the crimes after eight weeks.
While Loretta Died Before Her Trial, Erick, Tina, and Katey Are Incarcerated at Separate Louisiana Prisons Today
Both Erick Crain and Tina Vanmoerkerque pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and second-degree murder, respectively, and agreed to testify against the other two defendants in their trials. Both of them received a life imprisonment sentence for their roles in the murder of Ernest Luttrell. However, Linda Kate Passaniti, also known as Katey, pleaded not guilty and maintained her innocence. During Katey’s trial in 2013, Tina and Erick testified against her, with the latter claiming that she asked him to stage the scene as a robbery. Ultimately, on May 5, she was found guilty on all five counts against her, including second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, and three counts of forgery.
A few days later, on May 16, Katey was sentenced to life for the second-degree murder conviction, 30 years hard labor for the conspiracy to commit second-degree murder conviction, and an additional 30 years for the three forgery convictions. As for Loretta Luttrell, she passed away on July 31, 2014, in a Baton Rouge hospice at 74, before she could be tried for the alleged crimes. The charges against her were reportedly dismissed after her death. 59-year-old Tina Vanmoerkerque and 70-year-old Katey Passaniti are serving their respective sentences at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women in St. Gabriel, Louisiana. Meanwhile, 42-year-old Erick Crain is seemingly incarcerated at another Louisiana prison facility.
