Ryan Sharpe: The Louisiana Hunting Tags Killer
Overview
Over a four-month period in 2017, a series of seemingly random and unprovoked shootings terrorized the rural communities of East Feliciana and East Baton Rouge parishes in Louisiana. The attacks targeted middle-aged and older white men who were doing mundane tasks like yard work or exercising at their homes. The perpetrator was Ryan Sharpe, a 36-year-old local plumbing business owner, who claimed he was acting on orders from a secret government agency to fill "hunting tags" for humans. His violent spree left three men dead and one seriously wounded, shattering the peace of the close-knit region and leaving a trail of devastated families. Sharpe's capture, which came only after he bizarrely called the sheriff's office to identify himself, led to a long and complex legal battle involving questions of sanity, a voided murder conviction, and ultimately, two separate life sentences.
Background and Life
Ryan Sharpe was known in his community of Clinton, Louisiana, as an outgoing and friendly person who ran a successful plumbing company. Friends described him as a "great guy" who often hosted crawfish boils and kept the gate to his property open as a welcome sign to visitors. His business reportedly thrived after the major flooding in the region in 2016. Sharpe was also an avid hunter and a member of a hunting club.
In the months leading up to the shootings in the spring and summer of 2017, those close to Sharpe noticed a dramatic change in his behavior. Friends and family, including his father and sister, testified that he became isolated, paranoid, and began telling "weird and wild stories." He stopped returning calls and started keeping his previously open gate closed. His sister, Lindsey Meyers, said the change in his personality felt as if it happened "overnight." Despite these behavioral changes, she testified that she was not concerned enough to believe he needed to be hospitalized. Prosecutors later pointed out that during the killing spree, Sharpe continued to maintain his plumbing business and interact with the public.
The Murders and Attacks
The series of shootings began on July 8, 2017. Thomas "Tommy" Bass, 62, was in the carport of his home on Highway 960 in Clinton when Sharpe pulled into the driveway and shot him at close range. Bass died at the scene. The attack was unprovoked and left investigators with few initial leads.
The violence continued on September 12, 2017. Buck Hornsby, 47, was jogging near his home in East Feliciana Parish when he was shot twice with a small-gauge shotgun. Hornsby miraculously survived by hiding and pretending to be dead until Sharpe drove away. He would be the only person to survive being shot by Sharpe. Hornsby had reportedly hired Sharpe for plumbing work in the past.
Just one week later, on September 19, 2017, Sharpe struck again, this time in the Pride community of northern East Baton Rouge Parish. Carroll Breeden, 66, a retired BREC park commissioner, was outside his home on Port Hudson-Pride Road spraying weeds when he was fatally shot. The location was just miles from the East Feliciana parish line, connecting it to the previous shootings.
The final and fourth attack occurred on October 9, 2017. Brad DeFranceschi, 48, a camp ranger for the Boy Scouts, was trimming weeds in front of his house at the Avondale Scout Reservation in Clinton. Sharpe shot at him four times, with three bullets hitting and killing him instantly. DeFranceschi's wife, Kaylene, and their 12-year-old son were inside the home at the time.
The Victims
- Thomas "Tommy" Bass, 62 — Killed on July 8, 2017, in the carport of his Clinton home. He was the first victim in Sharpe's deadly series of attacks.
- Carroll Glynn Breeden Sr., 66 — A beloved husband, father, and grandfather, he was killed on September 19, 2017, while doing yard work at his home in Pride. A lifelong resident of the area and a U.S. Army veteran, he had served as a BREC Commissioner and was a member of Sandy Creek Baptist Church who enjoyed hunting and fishing.
- Brad Joseph DeFranceschi, 48 — Murdered on October 9, 2017, outside his home at the Avondale Scout Reservation in Clinton where he worked as a Camp Ranger. He was a U.S. Navy veteran, a dedicated Boy Scout leader holding multiple volunteer positions, and a husband and father to two children.
A fourth man, Buck Hornsby, was shot and seriously wounded on September 12, 2017, but survived the attack.
Investigation and Capture
The string of shootings of older white men in a concentrated rural area put residents on high alert and sparked a massive law enforcement response. For months, investigators struggled to identify a suspect. The breakthrough came in a bizarre and unexpected way. On October 11, 2017, two days after the murder of Brad DeFranceschi, Ryan Sharpe himself called the East Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Office and claimed he was the killer.
After the initial call, investigators tried to call him back, but he didn't answer. Sharpe then called the sheriff's office a second time, again identifying himself as the shooter. This immediately led authorities to his home in Clinton. When they arrived, they saw Sharpe leaving in a white Nissan Altima. He led them on a high-speed chase before he was finally apprehended.
Following his arrest, Sharpe confessed to all four shootings. He told investigators an elaborate story about being part of a secret federal operation. He claimed he was given "hunting tags" by a government entity he called "The Bureau" and had to kill people to fill his quota, or his family and friends would be harmed. He explained that he received points based on the color of his victims' shirts and that he deliberately left his cell phone at home on the days of the shootings to avoid being tracked. A shotgun recovered from his home was matched to the shootings.
Trial and Sentencing
Ryan Sharpe's legal proceedings were protracted and complex, marked by debates over his mental competency. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Despite this plea, he was repeatedly found competent to stand trial by multiple sanity commissions.
In December 2019, Sharpe was tried in East Feliciana Parish for the first-degree murder of Brad DeFranceschi. The jury found him guilty in an 11-1 vote. However, in 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that non-unanimous jury verdicts for serious crimes were unconstitutional. As a result, Sharpe's conviction was voided, and a new trial was ordered.
The retrial for the murder of Brad DeFranceschi took place in August 2024. This time, the jury deliberated for less than an hour before unanimously finding Sharpe guilty of first-degree murder. On October 15, 2024, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The murder of Tommy Bass was folded into this trial, allowing the district attorney to pursue the first-degree murder charge.
Sharpe then faced a separate trial in East Baton Rouge Parish for the murder of Carroll Breeden. In November 2025, a jury took only 30 minutes to find him guilty of second-degree murder. On December 12, 2025, he was sentenced to a second life sentence, to be served consecutively with his first.
Aftermath and Legacy
The Ryan Sharpe case left a lasting scar on the communities of East Feliciana and East Baton Rouge parishes. The random nature of the violence instilled deep fear among residents for months. The families of his victims endured years of legal battles and repeated court appearances, reliving their trauma with each hearing and trial.
During his final sentencing, Carroll Breeden's daughters delivered powerful impact statements. Marcie Breeden Flotte told Sharpe, "You took my dad's life in the most senseless, cruel, and heartless way imaginable... You didn't just kill my father that day. You shattered me." The convictions and consecutive life sentences finally brought a measure of legal closure to the families who had waited years for justice. Ryan Sharpe is now serving his sentences at the Louisiana State Penitentiary.
