Left: Carmella Motley (Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office). Right: Sebastian King in a 2023 video posted by Second Harvest Food Bank (@2nsharvestnoa/Instagram).
A Louisiana woman allegedly stabbed her husband to death during a drive, then police said she ran him over with their SUV.
Carmella Motley, aged 65, has been charged with second-degree murder following allegations from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office that she fatally stabbed her husband, 68-year-old Sebastian King, during a confrontation on Tuesday. Sgt. Brandon Veal, in a communication shared with local radio WWL, stated that deputies were called to a vehicle collision close to 10 p.m., where they discovered an unresponsive man with “multiple stab wounds,” later identified as King, who was declared dead at the location.
Officials noted that Motley was present on the scene and informed them she was King’s spouse. As reported by local ABC station WGNO, Motley explained to authorities that they had an argument while driving through Waggaman, a neighborhood in western New Orleans.
The New Orleans-based media outlet NOLA.com disclosed details of the incident after the Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office revealed King’s identity. According to NOLA.com’s acquired documents, detectives suspect that in addition to being stabbed, King was allegedly struck with a vehicle.
The coroner stated that King’s cause of death was blunt- and sharp-force injuries.
A reason for the altercation that led to the fatal stabbing was not provided by police.
A grandfather to five, King served as a food delivery driver for Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans. God’s House Church in Marrero, Louisiana, one of his regular delivery stops, will honor him with a “celebration of life.”
Motley was charged with second-degree murder and booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on $500,000 bond.
