A TikTok influencer with over 8 million followers, Terryon Ishmael Thomas, 20, has been identified as a person of interest in the brutal slaying of a Louisiana therapist.
Thomas was arrested in Dallas, Texas, on Tuesday for charges related to a traffic stop incident in Baton Rouge, where he was found driving the therapist’s car in the days after the murder.
Thomas is awaiting extradition to Louisiana, where he is a person of interest in the death of 69-year-old therapist Dr. William Nicholas “Nick” Abraham, as reported by the New York Post.
Abraham’s body was discovered wrapped in a tarp on the roadside Sunday morning, having been beaten to death in what Sheriff Gerald Sticker described as a “very physical, very violent death,” according to WVUE.
It is unclear how the TikTok influencer popularly known as “Mr. Prada” with around 8.2 million followers, is connected to the therapist’s death.
Abraham had faced molestation accusations in 2015 involving an 11-year-old, but the charges were dropped. The East Baton Rouge District Attorney’s Office and Abraham’s lawyer confirmed that Thomas was not the alleged victim in that case, according to WBRZ.
Thomas was linked to the investigation on Monday night after investigators released a blurry security image of a young man, believed to be driving Abraham’s black Lincoln MKZ.
The next afternoon, the Baton Rouge Police Department issued a warrant for Thomas’ arrest after he failed to comply with a traffic stop while driving the stolen vehicle. According to a warrant obtained by WBRZ, Thomas backed the vehicle into a police unit and fled the scene.
Officers later found the abandoned vehicle with Thomas missing. How he traveled to Dallas and where he was arrested with the help of the U.S. Marshals Task Force remain unclear.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Thomas was still in Dallas awaiting extradition.
Thomas’ most recent TikTok post, shared on Sunday, features him lifting weights and stretching to a Katy Perry song.
Abraham was last seen on Saturday, leaving his home to clean his car before telling his roommate he was going to his office to do paperwork, according to his family.
He spent 11 years as a Catholic priest before becoming a therapist and appearing as a mental health expert on local cable TV.
