Marl Wayne Smith, 79, a long-time Bogalusa bar owner, was shot and killed during a robbery at his establishment, the Pub Lounge, on March 2, 2022. The assailant also destroyed the bar’s ATM and stole all the money from the machine. Smith was born in Bogalusa on November 3, 1942; he graduated from Poplarville High School, attended Pearl River Junior College, played in a local band called American Empire, and later ran small businesses including Music World before owning the Pub Lounge.

Investigators identified a suspect, 51-year-old David Huey Rester Jr. of Bogalusa. Rester was arrested after a police chase in D’Iberville, Mississippi, where authorities say he was linked to an armed bank robbery and a kidnapping in Waveland, and to robbing and beating a convenience store clerk in the Pearl River area. After the Mississippi arrest, attention turned to extraditing him to Louisiana; a Washington Parish grand jury later returned an indictment charging first-degree murder.

Does anyone have information about Smith, the Pub Lounge, or the events of March 2, 2022 that could help clarify what happened?