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Sheriffs say Dakota Theriot has confessed to killing 5 in Louisiana

Livington Parish Sheriff Jason Ard and Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre held a joint press conference to release new details in the murder cases against Dakota Theriot.

BATON ROUGE, La. — Authorities in Louisiana say a man confessed to killing five people in two separate shootings over the weekend.

Livington Parish Sheriff Jason Ard and Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre held a joint press conference to release new details in the murder cases against Dakota Theriot.

RELATED: Man captured in Virginia after killings of his parents, girlfriend, 2 others in Livingston and Ascension Parish

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Ard said Theriot has confessed to stealing his father's handgun before using it to kill a woman believed to be his girlfriend, her brother and her father in Livingston Parish and his own parents in Ascension Parish.

Webre said that Theriot's father "still had enough life in him" to call 911 after he was shot. Deputies responding to the scene were able to speak to Theriot's father before he died.

Ard said that the three victims in Livingston Parish were each shot once in the head. Autopsies for Theriot's parents are scheduled for Tuesday.

"We have a better picture on how this happened. As far as why this happened, that motive is still unclear," Webre said.

RELATED: "He will find his day at the great white throne;' family of alleged killer's victims speaks out

The shootings sparked a nationwide manhunt that ended almost 24 hours later in Richmond County, Virginia.

Authorities in Virginia say they arrested Theriot outside his grandmother's house in Warsaw on Sunday. They said his grandmother checked into a hotel and asked police to check her house because she feared Theriot might show up.

Investigators say Theriot had recently moved in with the family in Livingston Parish in the past two weeks.

RELATED: Man accused of killing 5 people in 2 parishes has criminal past

After Theriot was arrested, detectives from Ascension and Livingston parishes traveled to Virginia to interview Theriot and collect evidence.

Theriot is set to have an extradition hearing Friday morning. Sheriff Webre said if he waives extradition at that hearing, it is possible Theriot could return to Louisiana as soon as this weekend. From there, he will be booked first in Ascension Parish on two counts of first-degree murder. Then, he will be moved to Livingston Parish Jail to be booked and housed.

"We still have a lot of work to do in this case," Ard said. "This is going to be one of those cases in which we make sure we give the family some closure."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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