Gerald James, 43, was found dead from a gunshot wound in a Lafayette, Louisiana hotel room in the early morning hours of December 10, 2017. Police responded to reports of gunfire at the Studio 6 on the Evangeline Thruway and treated the incident as a homicide arising from a domestic altercation.

Authorities identified James’s girlfriend, Sharonda Banks, as the primary suspect and arrested her at the scene. She was charged with second-degree murder, a charge that alleges intent to inflict serious harm that resulted in death.