A second suspect was recently arrested in connection with the August murder of a Washington Parish resident.

Chief Mike Haley of the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office said that Keri Glenn Stewart, 42, of Old River Road in Bogalusa, was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Washington Parish Jail on charges of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice. At this time, no bond has been set for Stewart.

On August 3, 2016, the WPSO arrested Charles Joseph “Joey” Mixon, 41, a resident of Shorty Bush Road in Bogalusa, for the murder of Cristin M. James, 36, a Mandeville resident. The murder occurred at Mixon’s residence.

Haley said that Mixon confessed to shooting James, then attempting to burn her body to cover up the crime. When confronted by Washington Parish detectives, Mixon led them to the site where he attempted to burn the body and detectives were able to recover the partially burned remains.

Haley said that evidence at the time led to Stewart’s later arrest. He said the investigation reportedly revealed that Stewart was present at the time and location of the murder, and then left the scene in the victim’s vehicle, allegedly planning to dispose of the vehicle in a remote area away from the murder scene.

As Stewart drove the victim’s vehicle, she encountered a Louisiana State Police trooper who attempted to make a routine traffic stop, Haley said. Stewart failed to yield and ultimately crashed. The victim’s vehicle was heavily damaged and Stewart received significant injuries, which resulted in her being airlifted to an area hospital. Although detectives were able to identify Stewart earlier in the investigation, the arrest was delayed until she was released from the hospital, Haley said.

The investigation is ongoing in an effort to determine the exact motive for the crime.

“Our detectives have done an outstanding job in pursuing all leads in this murder investigation,” Parish Sheriff Randy Seal said. “I congratulate them on a job well done.”