The Murder of Thomas Talley
For this case, I watched an episode of Murder Nation: Blood in the Bayou. It’s season 1 episode 4, titled ‘Til Death Do Us Party.’
A loving father is killed in his driveway.
I couldn’t find any photos online of anyone involved in this crime.
Background
Thomas Talley met his future wife, Kendra in 1999, while they were both working at Pizza Hut in their small town of Covington, Louisiana. Covington is described as a nice bedroom community just a short drive away from New Orleans. Thomas and Kendra fell in love quickly, and eventually had one child together.
Thomas loved being a father, and would often work two jobs to provide for his family. Thomas’ older brother, Mark, described Thomas as hardworking. Mark also said that Thomas and Kendra were a great couple, and enjoyed hosting get togethers, especially on the holidays.
The Crime Scene
In the early morning hours of December 11, 2004, several 911 calls were made to the Covington police. The callers were reporting that they had heard gunshots.
The police arrived at the home of Thomas and Kendra Talley, and found Thomas unconscious in his driveway. Kendra was found hovering over Thomas’ body, and was very hysterical.
The ambulance attempted CPR, but Thomas succumbed to his injuries. He had been shot 4 times. The police canvassed the area, but they couldn’t find a murder weapon, or any physical evidence.
Kendra’s Story
Kendra was interviewed by Detective Doug Arrowood. Kendra was distraught and very hysterical. She had come into the station barefoot, and an officer had given her a police jacket to wear.
When Kendra was able to talk, she told Det. Arrowood that Thomas had been asleep all night after having his wisdom teeth removed. Kendra described Thomas as being an asshole that night, and said she went out to party in New Orleans with her friend, Tommy Rowell.
Now, this might be a bit confusing, but Thomas is the victim, and Tommy is Kendra’s friend. Kendra had called Tommy before she went to New Orleans, and they met up for a night of drinking and doing drugs. Tommy was very into hunting, fishing, and was known to have a lot of guns.
After they partied in the French Quarter, Tommy and Kendra went to the Waffle House around 3am. Kendra said she revealed to Tommy that she and Thomas had been fighting, and he raped her. Kendra said Tommy became angry after she revealed this, and he told her that he wanted to “take care of business,” and hurt Thomas.
Kendra said she was locked inside Tommy’s car, and tied up to the steering wheel. She revealed that Tommy drove to her house, honked the horn, and shot Thomas when he walked outside. Kendra said Tommy fired two shots from inside the car, and two more at a very close range.
Tommy’s Story
Kendra’s story seemed to match the evidence at the crime scene, so the police wasted no time in obtaining a search warrant for Tommy’s arrest.
Kendra had warned the police that Tommy had several guns, and surveillance cameras outside his home. A SWAT team was called in.
Tommy lived in Bogalusa, about an hour and a half from New Orleans. When the police and SWAT team arrived, Tommy had surrounded himself with his guns and barricaded himself inside.
The police called Tommy, and eventually he surrendered. His guns were collected, and a notebook with a suicide note was found and collected. A cell phone was also found with meth inside where the battery would’ve been.
Tommy was arrested, and revealed that Kendra was also more involved than she was letting on.
He Said-She Said
Tommy told the police that Kendra was sitting right next to him, and hadn’t been tied up in his car. Tommy said Kendra had actually been the one who fired the first two shots from inside the car. Tommy said he did get out of the car, and fired the last two shots at Thomas.
The police spoke to Kendra’s friends. They revealed that the marriage wasn’t as happy as it appeared, and that Kendra didn’t love Thomas. Kendra and Tommy had been involved in an affair for quite some time.
Kendra and Tommy had been out with some friends on the night of Thomas’ murder. The friends said that Tommy and Kendra had been very flirty and playful all night. They said Kendra’s family didn’t approve of her being in a relationship with Tommy, so she married Thomas.
The police didn’t have any evidence that Kendra was involved, until Thomas’ autopsy report revealed that Thomas had been shot with two different guns, a .9mm and a .45 caliber.
The police also looked over the photographs from Tommy’s car. There was glass found in both seats and on the floor. When Kendra was brought into the station the first time she didn’t have any glass on her. Det. Arrowood said if she had been tied up and held down in the front seat like she claimed, she would’ve had some glass on her.
A New Story
Kendra was asked to come to the station for another interview, this time she brought a lawyer who was not a criminal attorney.
This time, Kendra changed some details. She said after a night of partying, she and Tommy went to the Waffle House at 3:23am. Next, they drove to Tommy’s house in Bogalusa, and back to her house because Tommy was angry that Thomas had raped Kendra. Kendra said they arrived in Covington around 6am.
Det. Arrowood asked Kendra how she was tied up. Kendra said she had been tied up with a belt, and had her hands around the steering wheel. Det. Arrowood asked how that was possible if Tommy was still driving. Kendra said she didn’t know, and that all she knew was that her hands were on the wheel. Kendra also said she couldn’t get out of the truck, and looked around if the child safety locks were on. Kendra said she attempted to use her feet to smash the windows.
There were just so many inconsistencies in her story. At one point, Kendra’s attorney was speaking for her, and saying maybe this or that happened. It was clear to Det. Arrowood that Kendra was making up lies on the spot.
After the interview, Kendra’s attorney said they were leaving. Det. Arrowood told him they were going to be charge Kendra with first degree murder.
The Convictions
In the fall of 2007, Tommy Rowell went on trial. He testified, and said Kendra shot first, and then he shot Thomas two more times at point blank range. The evidence and autopsy report matched Tommy’s story.
On October 25, 2007, Tommy was convicted of first degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Kendra was scheduled to go on trial one month later. The prosecution’s case relied on Tommy to testify, but he was willing to take the punishment for her. Tommy was clearly in love with Kendra.
Instead of facing a trial, Kendra pleaded guilty to manslaughter. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison. She was released in 2013 at the age of 33.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It was clear that Kendra was never going to tell the truth. She not only killed Thomas, her husband and the father of her child, but she attempted to ruin is reputation too. Kendra only cared about partying, and maybe cared about Tommy, but probably not. Tommy will rot in prison, but Kendra is now a free woman while she should be rotting in a cell too.
Sources
https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/article_48b9d23a-6a9d-57ef-9437-17173f58a3c3.html
https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/article_2e545242-3f2a-5521-8541-97cab13c9df1.html
