Inset left: Brandon Lindsey (Caddo Parish District Attorney”s Office). Inset right: Heaven Weed (Boone Funeral Home and Crematory). Background: Ochsner LSU Health hospital in Shreveport, Louisiana, where Weed died (Google Maps).
A man from northern Louisiana has been sentenced to life imprisonment after a brutal attack left his girlfriend with severe brain swelling. He stayed by her side without seeking medical aid while she remained unconscious.
The Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office confirmed that 36-year-old Brandon Lindsey received a life sentence for the murder of 23-year-old Heaven Weed. Lindsey will not have the possibility of parole or sentence suspension.
The tragic incident unfolded on March 1, 2023, after Weed and Lindsey spent the evening at a nightclub in Caddo Parish, a region in northwestern Louisiana adjacent to Texas. As the night concluded, the couple returned to Weed’s residence, where Lindsey had been residing for approximately a month.
Authorities believe Lindsey inflicted severe injuries on Weed during this time.
The following day, March 2, 2023, Lindsey went to his job and subsequently returned to Weed’s house around 11:45 a.m. Records from GPS and phone data indicated he remained there until approximately 8 p.m., when Weed’s mother arrived. Upon her entrance, Lindsey left, commenting, “she’s messed up.”
The district attorney’s office reported that Weed was left with Lindsey for roughly 18 hours before her mother discovered her in an unconscious and unresponsive state. She was then taken to Ochsner LSU Health hospital in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Weed’s injuries included “swelling of the brain, fractured ribs, lacerations and bruising all over her body.” Authorities said “she was so stiff it took several emergency personnel to move her from the car to the treatment area.”
About 10 days after she was admitted to the hospital, Weed died from her “closed-head traumatic brain injury.” Her organs were donated.
Law enforcement investigating what happened arrived at Weed’s home and noted “a strong smell of bleach and other cleansing products, including Clorox wipes and Fabuloso.” Police “documented blood spatter in the living room, kitchen and pantry and noted multiple locations where blood appeared to have been wiped.”
Investigators also grabbed several items from the washer, including a mattress topper, a pillow, and a towel, “all containing the victim’s blood.” According to police, “Lindsey’s clothing worn at the club also contained the victim’s blood.”
After Lindsey was arrested by the Shreveport Police Department, a previous girlfriend of his testified that he abused her for years. She said he gave her “black eyes, fractured ribs and a broken jaw.”
“She recounted instances where he dragged her by her hair, kicked her in the head and struck her with his fist in her face,” the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office said. “Her injuries were so significant she experienced seizures as a result. She testified she had to get dental implants due to damage to her teeth. She also testified about the cycle of abuse and her eventual escape.”
Weed was remembered as having had “an adventurous soul” and being someone who “passionately lived her life to the fullest,” according to her obituary. “Her courage and determination gave her the ability to achieve anything she put her mind to.”
“She is the first in her immediate family to graduate college,” the obituary goes on. “Heaven brought joy with her wherever she went, including to her job and work family at Bally’s Casino in Shreveport. She was a selfless person who shared her love for life and others with everyone she met.”
