In the moments before Linda Frickey was dragged to her death during a fatal 2022 carjacking, the 73-year-old had been sitting in her parked vehicle in New Orleans when she was surrounded by four teenagers, The Associated Press reports. The teens, who ranged in age from 15 to 17, pepper-sprayed and punched Frickey. As they sped away with her vehicle, Frickey, who was entangled in a seatbelt, was dragged alongside for a block before her arm was severed and she was dislodged — left to die on the street. Lawmakers have pointed to the case as one example of the carjackings, homicides and juvenile lawbreakers that they say are terrorizing Louisiana cities.
In an effort to subdue violent crimes, lawmakers have returned to the Capitol for a short special legislative session and are advancing a slew of Republican-authored tough-on-crime policies backed by conservative new Gov. Jeff Landry. The aggressive agenda, which in large part Democrats argue will hurt the state, could reshape parts of the Louisiana’s criminal justice system and public safety sector. Among the proposed legislation is harsher punishment for certain crimes that plague urban areas. Under one bill, which received bipartisan support in a committee Tuesday and will advance to the House floor for debate, if someone is found guilty of carjacking, the minimum sentence would increase from two years to five. In addition, if the carjacking results in bodily injury, the offender would serve 20 to 30 years in jail without parole.