Terryon Thomas, a 20-year-old TikTok creator best known as Mr Prada, is being charged with second degree murder and obstruction of justice, The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana announced Thursday.
Thomas, who has nearly 4 million followers on TikTok, was arrested in Dallas on Tuesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest by the Baton Rouge Police Department on suspicion of aggravated criminal damage to property, resisting an officer and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
The popular Baton Rouge-based online creator was accused of driving the stolen vehicle of 69-year-old therapist William Nicholas Abraham, also of Baton Rouge, who was found dead on the side of a highway near Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana on Sunday. Law enforcement officials said that the cause of death was blunt force trauma.
Thomas has been the subject of a social media frenzy after claims that he was involved in Abraham’s death went viral. Many posts on TikTok and X, some which garnered millions of views, speculated on the relationship between Thomas and Abraham.
The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating Abraham’s death as a homicide, searched Thomas’ home and found evidence indicating a violent altercation had occurred inside, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed by the sheriff’s office. Police found “a significant amount of blood” and “multiple sharp objects and other weapons,” according to the affidavit.
“I appreciate the work done by the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police and Crime Lab, Baton Rouge Police Department, U.S. Marshal’s Service and all others involved,” East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said in a news release. “This is an ongoing investigation that will take time to gather further evidence. I hope that this arrest may bring some closure and assurance to friends and family.”
Surveillance footage showed Abraham arriving at Thomas’ apartment complex on Saturday wearing the same clothing his body was found in on Sunday, according to the affidavit. Witnesses saw Thomas dragging a tarp down the stairs of his apartment complex and loading it into Abraham’s vehicle, according to the affidavit.
NBC News has reached out to the management team listed on Thomas’ profile for comment. Court and sheriff’s officials did not immediately know whether he had a lawyer.
Thomas gained notoriety on TikTok for his comedic videos, many of which he was accused of copying from other creators, according to online database Know Your Meme. He has grown a following of nearly 4 million. Thomas made now-deleted videos expressing that he was unapologetic about replicating other creators, according to Know Your Meme.
Some people speculating about Thomas online pointed to reports of Abraham’s arrest in 2015 after he was accused of inappropriately touching an 11-year-old client, according to local outlet WAFB. Prosecutors declined to take the case to trial. Abraham’s former attorney Jarrett Ambeau told NBC News that Thomas was not the boy involved in the case.
The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that “there is no evidence to suggest that Thomas was a client of Abraham.” It also said that the relationship between Thomas and Abraham as well as a potential motive were still under investigation.
Thomas remains in custody in Dallas and awaits extradition to Louisiana. A court date has not yet been set.
