Louisiana news briefs

Police: Man kills girlfriend, himself in murder-suicide
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans police say a 28-year-old Tulane University law student fatally shot his 25-year-old girlfriend, also a law student, and then killed himself inside an uptown apartment.
The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office identified victims as Sara LaMont and Wajih Mazloum.
Officer Garry Flot said in a news release a roommate found victims’ bodies inside an upstairs apartment around 10 a.m. Sunday.
Flot said a handgun was found next to the man.

Sheriff: Pregnant Oakdale woman was killed for baby
OAKDALE (AP) — Officials say they believe a pregnant Oakdale woman was killed in 2011 by another woman who planned to take the baby and raise it as her own.
Allen Parish Sheriff Doug Hebert said Saturday that he believes human remains found Thursday at a house in Oakdale belong to Victoria Marie Perez. She was last seen leaving Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria on March 10, 2011, while the 22-year-old was eight months pregnant.
Hebert said Perez was killed by 32-year-old Pamela Causey-Fregia as part of an effort to rekindle relations with her estranged husband. He said Causey-Fregia was trying to persuade the man that she was pregnant, showing him a pregnancy test and sonogram, and intended to raise Perez’s child. Not convinced, the estranged husband left and went back to Texas.
Causey-Fregia was arrested earlier this week on charges of accessory after the fact to the crime of aggravated battery and obstruction of justice. The charges against her have now been upgraded to first-degree murder and first-degree feticide.

2 adults, 2 children killed in Marksville mobile home fire
MARKSVILLE (AP) — Four people have died following a mobile home fire in Avoyelles Parish.
The state Fire Marshal’s office said four people died in the fire late Thursday — 32-year-old Stanley Charrier; his mother, 62-year-old Catherine Charrier; his 9-year-old son Carlin Charrier and his 12-year-old stepdaughter Emily Graham.
Monique Charrier, Stanley’s wife and the children’s mother, was working at the Paragon Casino Resort at the time.
“My whole family was in this house,” Earl Descant said. “My mama, my little brother, and my niece and nephew.”
The fire marshal’s office, which is investigating, says three bodies were found together, while a fourth was separated. No cause has been determined. The bodies were released to the Avoyelles Parish Coroner’s Office, and autopsies have been requested.

Smoking in Big Easy bars, gambling halls to end in April
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — In three months it will no longer be legal to smoke in bars and while gambling in the Big Easy.
On Friday, Mayor Mitch Landrieu signed into law a new ordinance that does away with smoking inside bars, gambling halls, stadiums and hotels in what will be a big change for a city known for its libertine ways.
“I’m really proud to sign this ordinance today,” Landrieu said with city officials, musician Deacon John Moore and health professionals at his side.
There are more than 500 bars within the city limits and several large gambling establishments, including a Harrah’s casino next to the French Quarter and a horse racing track. Bars and the gambling industry sought to stop the ban but failed. They said a smoking ban would hurt business.
The ban in Louisiana’s metropolitan center is sparking discussion in Baton Rouge and Lafayette about whether those cities should pass their own smoking restrictions. In both places city leaders are discussing similar bans.
Recently, Baton Rouge’s Mayor-President Kip Holden and medical professionals announced a campaign to highlight the dangers of smoking. Meanwhile, a Baton Rouge council member, Ronnie Edwards, has said she would be in favor of proposing a smoking ban.
Similarly, Lafayette City-Parish Council Chairman Kenneth Boudreaux has promised to propose a ban within three months. Boudreaux has said he wants to protect the health of wait staff, bartenders, musicians and others. In New Orleans, City Council members said they were persuaded to pass the ban to protect the health of workers in the entertainment industry.
“The courage of passing this ordinance has already had resounding effects as numerous other cities in Louisiana and across the U.S. have taken notice,” said Jennifer Cofer of the American Lung Association of the Southeast.
In Louisiana, about 25 percent of adults smoke, according to federal data. Nationally, about 18 percent of adults smoke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Louisiana already has statewide bans on smoking in restaurants and in public buildings.
New Orleans was one of the last major U.S. cities where smoking in public places - generally bars - is allowed, according to the American Lung Association. The other cities are Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami, Las Vegas, Fort Worth and Arlington, Texas, Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Florida, Virginia Beach, Virginia and Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The ban in New Orleans will take effect in late April when smokers — including those inhaling electronic cigarettes — will have to step outside.