x
Breaking News
More () »

Louisiana mother accused of throwing kids in lake charged with murder

Ureka Rochelle Black, 33, of Shreveport, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of her child, 10-month-old Joshua Calif Black.

SHREVEPORT, La. — A Louisiana woman accused of throwing two of her children into a lake has been indicted on charges of murder and attempted murder.

Ureka Rochelle Black, 33, of Shreveport, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of 10-month-old Joshua Calif Black, the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office said in a news release Wednesday. Conviction on that charge would bring an automatic sentence of life in prison.

The grand jury that indicted Black on Tuesday also charged her with the attempted second-degree murder of the baby’s 5-year-old brother. Conviction on that charge would be punishable by 10 to 50 years without parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.

Police said both boys were thrown into Cross Lake on Sept. 24, 2021.

Black’s public defender did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday.

Black's sisters, Felicia and Pycolyia Black, told KSLA-TV in September that they had been worried about Black’s mental health for some time, but that she refused to get treated.

Credit: AP
FILE - This undated provided by Caddo Correctional Center in Shreveport, La., shows Ureka Black. Black, accused of throwing two of her children into a lake was indicted on charges of murder and attempted murder on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. (Caddo Correctional Center via AP)

RELATED: 2 children thrown from bridge, 1 dead; mother arrested: police

RELATED: Woman struck, killed trying to walk across highway in Gretna

RELATED: Missing: 15-year-old mom, newborn last seen in St. Charles Parish

RELATED: NOPD: Missing man found dead in his closet, wife arrested

RELATED: 'We are surging back,' DA Williams announces indictment of 4 violent offenders

Click here to report a typo. 

► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.

Before You Leave, Check This Out