William Guillard

William Anthony Guillard was a beloved father, son, and brother known for his fun-loving nature and constant smile. A 26-year-old Black man, he was a skilled carpenter and certified home renovator who had honed his craft since he was a teenager. William graduated in 2010 from the Apostolic Lighthouse Academy in Jackson, Louisiana, and later attended the Carville Job Corps Home Builders Institute. He was the proud father of a daughter, Lyrical Renee Guillard. His family, including his parents, Belinda Guillard and Willie Dorsey, and his siblings, remember him as a generous soul.

The afternoon of Wednesday, January 2, 2019, turned tragic at William's home in the 800 block of South 16th Street in Baton Rouge. Just before 4:30 p.m., he heard a knock at his door. According to his girlfriend, who was with him at the time, William cracked the door open but almost immediately slammed it shut and locked it. He urged her to run to a back room. As he tried to follow her, bullets tore through the living room windows, and one struck him in the back of the head.

Police and emergency services were dispatched to the residential neighborhood just south of Government Street. William was found critically injured and rushed to a local hospital for treatment. He fought for his life for two days before succumbing to his injuries on January 4, 2019, at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital. In death, William gave the gift of life to three other people through organ donation, a final act of generosity that was a testament to his character. His death was recorded as the first homicide in Baton Rouge for 2019.

The Baton Rouge Police Department immediately launched a homicide investigation. Detectives learned from witnesses that the shooting may have stemmed from a disagreement over a stolen gun or a gun sale. Their investigation quickly led them to identify a suspect. On January 21, 2019, police announced they had issued an arrest warrant for 22-year-old Malik Prestly on a charge of second-degree murder.

On Friday, February 1, 2019, the Baton Rouge Police Department arrested Malik Prestly in connection with William Guillard's murder. He was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Jail on one count of second-degree murder, with his bond set at $250,000. Authorities had asked the public for help in locating him, and the arrest brought the initial phase of the investigation to a close.

William is mourned by his daughter, parents, step-father, siblings, and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. He was preceded in death by his grandmother and an aunt. His family laid him to rest, remembering the joy he brought into their lives. The case against Malik Prestly moved to the courts following his arrest in February 2019, but further public information on the outcome of the legal proceedings is not available. Anyone with information regarding the shooting was urged to contact the Baton Rouge Police Department's Violent Crimes Unit at (225) 389-4869 or Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867.