Investigations are nothing new for Bob Arthur. During a portion of his career in the insurance industry, he investigated bogus claims and became adept at navigating the criminal justice system. Never could he have imagined his skills and experience would be needed to find out what happened to his son, Shawn Arthur, after he was found dead at his Metairie apartment on Feb. 25, 2017.Displeased with the work of local law enforcement, Bob Arthur undertook this highly personal task even as he was being treated for pancreatic cancer. He’s currently in remission, and his fervor is undiminished after nearly four years of pressing Jefferson Parish authorities for answers. “My wife and I, we had three boys,” Bob Arthur told WDSU recently. “We never put ourselves first. Our boys came first. We came second.” The Jefferson Parish coroner determined Shawn Arthur died from acute pancreatitis, attributed to alcohol consumption. His blood alcohol content was 0.274 – more than three times the state’s legal definition of intoxication. Police found an empty whiskey bottle and beer bottles inside his apartment. Shawn’s wallet, television, mobile phones were missing, and his pickup truck was not at the apartment complex, according to Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office records the Arthurs obtained and shared with WDSU. The whiskey bottle yielded a clue that detectives explored. It was a fingerprint that belonged to Dominique Berry, whose criminal record included prostitution arrests in New Orleans and warrants in Kenner and Sacramento, Calif. The JPSO subpoenaed Shawn’s phone records and found a number he called and texted the night he died. Court records say he got the number from a social media app designed for users to meet strangers. Police traced the same number to an online personal escort advertisement. When detectives compared photos of a woman in the ad with Berry’s booking photo from New Orleans, they concluded they were not the same woman, according to the JPSO report. Shawn Arthur’s bank records showed that his debit card was used at two New Orleans stores within hours after he died. Surveillance video from both locations showed the same three men making purchases, according to the police report. Detectives noted that two men “who appear to be the same subjects caught on video” at the two stores are seen entering Shawn Arthur’s apartment complex on foot at 5:18 a.m. Twelve minutes later, a white pickup truck “presumed to be Shawn Arthur’s vehicle” leaves the complex, although the police report notes the truck and its occupants cannot be positively identified on video. In their incident report, the JPSO said it deferred to New Orleans police on any criminal investigation for the debit card use. Shawn Arthur’s truck was reported stolen and turned up five weeks later in the Central City neighborhood. The sheriff’s office said its investigators couldn’t determine how Shawn Arthur’s belongings left the property or whether Shawn might have given his consent for someone to take his possessions. “Who in the world would even tell anybody, ’Yeah, go ahead and take my stuff with you,’” said Travis Arthur, the middle child of Bob and Linda Arthur’s three sons, in an exasperated tone during a recent interview. After three months, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office ruled out foul play and closed its investigation. The coroner determined Shawn’s manner of death was accidental. Shortly afterward, the Arthur family launched its own probe. Bob Arthur and his youngest son, Ryan Arthur, decided to see where the fingerprint would lead them. “It’s not about us trying to prove them wrong. It’s about us trying to do what’s right and find justice for Shawn,” said Ryan Arthur, the youngest of the brothers.‘A lot more to the story …’After finding criminal records for Berry in other states, the Arthurs hired a private investigator in Texas specializing in skip tracing – finding people who are missing, dodging debt or fugitives from the law. The skip tracer contacted a professional acquaintance in New Orleans, investigative reporter David Lohr, who was working for The Huffington Post at the time.The Arthur family shared their findings with Lohr along with records they had obtained from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. “Right from the get-go, I thought there was a lot more to the story that what police were saying,” Lohr said.Lohr found the same online escort ad the JPSO discovered and reverse-searched the phone number on it. It was used on multiple ads and dating sites around the country, along with the same photos. Next, Lohr said he posted messages to some of the same websites asking if anyone had a bad experience with the woman they met from the ad. He said he heard back from several men, all with similar stories. “They’d say the last thing they would remember her massaging them and they were out,” Lohr said.Lohr and the Arthur family searched police records in the places where they found the online ads. Their discoveries align with information in federal indictments handed down against Dominique Berry and Randy “Ru Ru” Schenck in August 2019 and February 2020, respectively. Prosecutors detailed a scheme that spanned at least five states: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana and Georgia. The relationship between Schenck and Berry goes back to early 2013 when they met in New Orleans and soon became romantically involved, according to court records. Within three weeks, prosecutors said Schenck convinced Berry to work for an escort agency. In his indictment, prosecutors said Schenck beat Berry and threatened her family members to ensure she complied with his instructions and to quash any thoughts she had of ending their scheme, which they employed from October 2013 to September 2017.Federal court documents say the couple allegedly posted photos of Berry on city-specific websites and dating apps. Interested individuals were invited to contact Berry to schedule sexual interactions, according to the indictments. Schenck’s indictment spells out how he instructed Berry to place illegal and prescription drugs into the individuals’ drinks to render them unconscious. Federal authorities say the two would then steal personal property from their victims.“That was their whole modus operandi,” Bob Arthur said. “…They would lure their victim in, they would drug their victim, unbeknownst to the person. Then they would get the person to drink, and then they would rob them.” The U.S. Attorney for Louisiana’s Eastern District has charged Schenck with sex trafficking and identity theft. His next court date is in February. Berry reached a plea agreement in December for conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. She’ll be sentenced next year and faces a maximum of five years in prison.‘They have egg on their face’ Berry’s indictment details her encounter with Shawn Arthur in February 2017. As a victim, he’s identified as “S.A.” in court records. The U.S. Attorney says Schenck gave Berry antipsychotic medications for her to drug and incapacitate Shawn. According to the court record, antipsychotic drugs contributed to Shawn’s death.Jefferson Parish coroner Dr. Gerry Cvitanovich said in an amended report issued in April 2018 that drugs found in Shawn’s system were in “individually non-toxic levels.” He also changed the manner of Shawn Arthur’s death from accidental to undetermined. The changes came after Lohr published his story for The Huffington Post. Cvitanovich did not respond to WDSU’s questions for this story.Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connick provided a statement to WDSU saying he couldn’t comment on Shawn Arthur’s death, citing professional rules of conduct. He also noted that the federal case against Schenck was still open. Bob Arthur believes the DA could do more to look into Shawn Arthur’s death, and he wants the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office to reopen its investigation.“We just want justice. Do the right thing,” Bob Arthur said. “I think part of their problem is they have egg on their face, because they didn’t do their due diligence.”The JPSO did not respond to questions from WDSU for this story.One alleged victim of Berry and Schenck had already come forward to press charges before Shawn Arthur’s death. Police records in Sacramento, California, indicate a man there made a date with Berry through Craigslist. He reported money, his driver’s license, mobile phones, a laptop and a pound of medical marijuana were stolen from his home. The alleged incident occurred three months before Shawn Arthur’s death.California authorities charged Berry and Schenck with felony burglary, identity theft and poisoning. An official with Sacramento Superior Court said last week arrest warrants were still active for both.The JPSO knew Berry had a warrant from Sacramento, according to their report from Shawn Arthur’s death. But unlike federal investigators would two years later, the JPSO did not conclude Berry or anyone else had taken items from Shawn’s apartment without his permission or that she had drugged him.“It’s just beyond frustrating that we’ve provided fact after fact after fact, and they continue to stick to their narrative,” Ryan Arthur said.‘Well of course I drugged him’One piece of evidence the Arthurs believe should lead to further investigation comes from a jailhouse interview with Berry in Georgia. She and Randy Schenck were arrested there in September 2017 after police say they used an online dating site to meet a man who woke up the next morning to find his mobile phone, car and other items missing. The arrest report says Berry had a bloody nose and punctured lip when police found her at a hotel room. She told officers Schenck had abused her.Jane Holmes, a Georgia-based private investigator the Arthurs hired, obtained permission to interview Berry at the Cobb County jail. Holmes, who shared those recordings with WDSU, began her first conversation with Berry by showing her a photo.“That is Shawn Arthur. He is deceased,” Holmes said to Berry.“What does it have to do with me?” Berry responded.Holmes interviewed Berry for more than seven hours spread over three days.Berry recalled that she was extremely drunk at Shawn Arthur’s apartment but remembered some key details before she left.“I know he was snoring. He was well fine when I left, ‘cause all I did was give him a massage and he was laying in the bed asleep, so… .” “Well, massage with two capsules of pills,” Holmes said, interrupting Berry. “What do you mean?” Berry responded. Holmes explained, “Well, you said massage, but I’m talking… .”“Well of course I drugged him,” Berry said, before Holmes could complete her sentence. “Of course, I gave him two capsules of pills, then I took him to the bed, laid him down, massaged him and relaxed him and he fell asleep.”Investigative reporter David Lohr joined Holmes for the final interview with Berry at the jail.“That just kinda dropped my jaw because … we got her fingerprint in the apartment. We have her admitting she was in the apartment,” Lohr said.Berry’s recollections are consistent with information from her indictment, which says that she “placed drugs designed to incapacitate (Shawn Arthur), including multiple antipsychotic medications, into (his) beverages without his knowledge or authorization.” In the jailhouse interviews and court records, Berry said beatings from Schenck were frequent and she also feared he would do harm to her family back in Louisiana if she refused to carry out her role in the scheme.‘Justice is doing the right thing’In the recordings, Berry asks Holmes to tell the Arthurs she’s sorry and that she can sympathize with them for the loss of their son.“I was actually shocked that she did give me all this information,” Holmes told WDSU.Celia Rhoads with the local Office of the Federal Public Defender is representing Berry. She provided a statement to WDSU on behalf of her client. “Ms. Berry and the Office of the Federal Public Defender offer their sincere condolences to Mr. Arthur’s family for their unimaginable loss,” the statement said. “Ms. Berry has taken full responsibility for her actions and has been actively assisting prosecutors and law enforcement. This is a tragic case that also illustrates the horrors of human trafficking and has exposed the extreme violence and sexual exploitation faced by many women across this country. “As reflected in the federal indictment against Mr. Schenck, police found Ms. Berry severely beaten, bleeding, and bound with electrical tape in a hotel room. She immediately cooperated with authorities and will continue to do so.”Information from Schenck’s indictment matches Berry’s claims of abuse at his hands. Schenck’s lawyers declined to comment for this story.The Arthurs say they’ll continue to seek answers to their lingering questions about Shawn’s death. Ryan Arthur said the family’s goal isn’t to put anyone in prison forever. “Justice is doing the right thing,” he said. “I don’t know what the end result is going to be, but we just want the right thing to happen.”
JEFFERSON PARISH, La. —
Investigations are nothing new for Bob Arthur. During a portion of his career in the insurance industry, he investigated bogus claims and became adept at navigating the criminal justice system. Never could he have imagined his skills and experience would be needed to find out what happened to his son, Shawn Arthur, after he was found dead at his Metairie apartment on Feb. 25, 2017.
Displeased with the work of local law enforcement, Bob Arthur undertook this highly personal task even as he was being treated for pancreatic cancer. He’s currently in remission, and his fervor is undiminished after nearly four years of pressing Jefferson Parish authorities for answers.
“My wife and I, we had three boys,” Bob Arthur told WDSU recently. “We never put ourselves first. Our boys came first. We came second.”
The Jefferson Parish coroner determined Shawn Arthur died from acute pancreatitis, attributed to alcohol consumption. His blood alcohol content was 0.274 – more than three times the state’s legal definition of intoxication. Police found an empty whiskey bottle and beer bottles inside his apartment. Shawn’s wallet, television, mobile phones were missing, and his pickup truck was not at the apartment complex, according to Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office records the Arthurs obtained and shared with WDSU.
The whiskey bottle yielded a clue that detectives explored. It was a fingerprint that belonged to Dominique Berry, whose criminal record included prostitution arrests in New Orleans and warrants in Kenner and Sacramento, Calif.
The JPSO subpoenaed Shawn’s phone records and found a number he called and texted the night he died. Court records say he got the number from a social media app designed for users to meet strangers. Police traced the same number to an online personal escort advertisement. When detectives compared photos of a woman in the ad with Berry’s booking photo from New Orleans, they concluded they were not the same woman, according to the JPSO report.
Shawn Arthur’s bank records showed that his debit card was used at two New Orleans stores within hours after he died. Surveillance video from both locations showed the same three men making purchases, according to the police report. Detectives noted that two men “who appear to be the same subjects caught on video” at the two stores are seen entering Shawn Arthur’s apartment complex on foot at 5:18 a.m. Twelve minutes later, a white pickup truck “presumed to be Shawn Arthur’s vehicle” leaves the complex, although the police report notes the truck and its occupants cannot be positively identified on video.
In their incident report, the JPSO said it deferred to New Orleans police on any criminal investigation for the debit card use. Shawn Arthur’s truck was reported stolen and turned up five weeks later in the Central City neighborhood. The sheriff’s office said its investigators couldn’t determine how Shawn Arthur’s belongings left the property or whether Shawn might have given his consent for someone to take his possessions.
“Who in the world would even tell anybody, ’Yeah, go ahead and take my stuff with you,’” said Travis Arthur, the middle child of Bob and Linda Arthur’s three sons, in an exasperated tone during a recent interview.
After three months, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office ruled out foul play and closed its investigation. The coroner determined Shawn’s manner of death was accidental. Shortly afterward, the Arthur family launched its own probe. Bob Arthur and his youngest son, Ryan Arthur, decided to see where the fingerprint would lead them.
“It’s not about us trying to prove them wrong. It’s about us trying to do what’s right and find justice for Shawn,” said Ryan Arthur, the youngest of the brothers.
Photo courtesy Arthur family
From left: Shawn Arthur, his brother Ryan, mother Linda, sister-in-law Kristina, nephew Hudson. brother Travis and father Bob.
‘A lot more to the story …’
After finding criminal records for Berry in other states, the Arthurs hired a private investigator in Texas specializing in skip tracing – finding people who are missing, dodging debt or fugitives from the law. The skip tracer contacted a professional acquaintance in New Orleans, investigative reporter David Lohr, who was working for The Huffington Post at the time.
The Arthur family shared their findings with Lohr along with records they had obtained from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.
“Right from the get-go, I thought there was a lot more to the story that what police were saying,” Lohr said.
Lohr found the same online escort ad the JPSO discovered and reverse-searched the phone number on it. It was used on multiple ads and dating sites around the country, along with the same photos.
Next, Lohr said he posted messages to some of the same websites asking if anyone had a bad experience with the woman they met from the ad. He said he heard back from several men, all with similar stories.
“They’d say the last thing they would remember her massaging them and they were out,” Lohr said.
Lohr and the Arthur family searched police records in the places where they found the online ads. Their discoveries align with information in federal indictments handed down against Dominique Berry and Randy “Ru Ru” Schenck in August 2019 and February 2020, respectively. Prosecutors detailed a scheme that spanned at least five states: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana and Georgia.
Sandy Springs PD, Maricopa County SO, Kenner PD
Clockwise from upper left: Police booking photos of Dominique Berry from Sandy Springs, Georgia; Maricopa County, Arizona; and Kenner, Louisiana.
The relationship between Schenck and Berry goes back to early 2013 when they met in New Orleans and soon became romantically involved, according to court records. Within three weeks, prosecutors said Schenck convinced Berry to work for an escort agency. In his indictment, prosecutors said Schenck beat Berry and threatened her family members to ensure she complied with his instructions and to quash any thoughts she had of ending their scheme, which they employed from October 2013 to September 2017.
Federal court documents say the couple allegedly posted photos of Berry on city-specific websites and dating apps. Interested individuals were invited to contact Berry to schedule sexual interactions, according to the indictments.
Schenck’s indictment spells out how he instructed Berry to place illegal and prescription drugs into the individuals’ drinks to render them unconscious. Federal authorities say the two would then steal personal property from their victims.
“That was their whole modus operandi,” Bob Arthur said. “…They would lure their victim in, they would drug their victim, unbeknownst to the person. Then they would get the person to drink, and then they would rob them.”
The U.S. Attorney for Louisiana’s Eastern District has charged Schenck with sex trafficking and identity theft. His next court date is in February. Berry reached a plea agreement in December for conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. She’ll be sentenced next year and faces a maximum of five years in prison.
Sandy Springs PD
A police booking photo of Randy Schenck from Sandy Springs, Georgia
‘They have egg on their face’
Berry’s indictment details her encounter with Shawn Arthur in February 2017. As a victim, he’s identified as “S.A.” in court records. The U.S. Attorney says Schenck gave Berry antipsychotic medications for her to drug and incapacitate Shawn. According to the court record, antipsychotic drugs contributed to Shawn’s death.
Jefferson Parish coroner Dr. Gerry Cvitanovich said in an amended report issued in April 2018 that drugs found in Shawn’s system were in “individually non-toxic levels.” He also changed the manner of Shawn Arthur’s death from accidental to undetermined. The changes came after Lohr published his story for The Huffington Post.
Cvitanovich did not respond to WDSU’s questions for this story.
Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connick provided a statement to WDSU saying he couldn’t comment on Shawn Arthur’s death, citing professional rules of conduct. He also noted that the federal case against Schenck was still open.
Bob Arthur believes the DA could do more to look into Shawn Arthur’s death, and he wants the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office to reopen its investigation.
“We just want justice. Do the right thing,” Bob Arthur said. “I think part of their problem is they have egg on their face, because they didn’t do their due diligence.”
The JPSO did not respond to questions from WDSU for this story.
One alleged victim of Berry and Schenck had already come forward to press charges before Shawn Arthur’s death. Police records in Sacramento, California, indicate a man there made a date with Berry through Craigslist. He reported money, his driver’s license, mobile phones, a laptop and a pound of medical marijuana were stolen from his home. The alleged incident occurred three months before Shawn Arthur’s death.
California authorities charged Berry and Schenck with felony burglary, identity theft and poisoning. An official with Sacramento Superior Court said last week arrest warrants were still active for both.
The JPSO knew Berry had a warrant from Sacramento, according to their report from Shawn Arthur’s death. But unlike federal investigators would two years later, the JPSO did not conclude Berry or anyone else had taken items from Shawn’s apartment without his permission or that she had drugged him.
“It’s just beyond frustrating that we’ve provided fact after fact after fact, and they continue to stick to their narrative,” Ryan Arthur said.
Photo courtesy Arthur family
The Arthur family took this photo of five beer bottles in Shawn’s garbage can after police removed evidence from his apartment. Records from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said there were a “multitude” of empty beer bottles when Shawn’s body was found. An evidence log shows only one was taken from the apartment for crime lab testing.
‘Well of course I drugged him’
One piece of evidence the Arthurs believe should lead to further investigation comes from a jailhouse interview with Berry in Georgia. She and Randy Schenck were arrested there in September 2017 after police say they used an online dating site to meet a man who woke up the next morning to find his mobile phone, car and other items missing.
The arrest report says Berry had a bloody nose and punctured lip when police found her at a hotel room. She told officers Schenck had abused her.
Jane Holmes, a Georgia-based private investigator the Arthurs hired, obtained permission to interview Berry at the Cobb County jail. Holmes, who shared those recordings with WDSU, began her first conversation with Berry by showing her a photo.
“That is Shawn Arthur. He is deceased,” Holmes said to Berry.
“What does it have to do with me?” Berry responded.
Holmes interviewed Berry for more than seven hours spread over three days.
Berry recalled that she was extremely drunk at Shawn Arthur’s apartment but remembered some key details before she left.
“I know he was snoring. He was well fine when I left, ‘cause all I did was give him a massage and he was laying in the bed asleep, so… .”
“Well, massage with two capsules of pills,” Holmes said, interrupting Berry.
“What do you mean?” Berry responded.
Holmes explained, “Well, you said massage, but I’m talking… .”
“Well of course I drugged him,” Berry said, before Holmes could complete her sentence. “Of course, I gave him two capsules of pills, then I took him to the bed, laid him down, massaged him and relaxed him and he fell asleep.”
Investigative reporter David Lohr joined Holmes for the final interview with Berry at the jail.
“That just kinda dropped my jaw because … we got her fingerprint in the apartment. We have her admitting she was in the apartment,” Lohr said.
Berry’s recollections are consistent with information from her indictment, which says that she “placed drugs designed to incapacitate (Shawn Arthur), including multiple antipsychotic medications, into (his) beverages without his knowledge or authorization.” In the jailhouse interviews and court records, Berry said beatings from Schenck were frequent and she also feared he would do harm to her family back in Louisiana if she refused to carry out her role in the scheme.
Photo courtesy Arthur family
The Arthurs, clockwise from left: Linda, Shawn, Bob, Travis and Ryan.
‘Justice is doing the right thing’
In the recordings, Berry asks Holmes to tell the Arthurs she’s sorry and that she can sympathize with them for the loss of their son.
“I was actually shocked that she did give me all this information,” Holmes told WDSU.
Celia Rhoads with the local Office of the Federal Public Defender is representing Berry. She provided a statement to WDSU on behalf of her client.
“Ms. Berry and the Office of the Federal Public Defender offer their sincere condolences to Mr. Arthur’s family for their unimaginable loss,” the statement said. “Ms. Berry has taken full responsibility for her actions and has been actively assisting prosecutors and law enforcement. This is a tragic case that also illustrates the horrors of human trafficking and has exposed the extreme violence and sexual exploitation faced by many women across this country.
“As reflected in the federal indictment against Mr. Schenck, police found Ms. Berry severely beaten, bleeding, and bound with electrical tape in a hotel room. She immediately cooperated with authorities and will continue to do so.”
Information from Schenck’s indictment matches Berry’s claims of abuse at his hands. Schenck’s lawyers declined to comment for this story.
The Arthurs say they’ll continue to seek answers to their lingering questions about Shawn’s death.
Ryan Arthur said the family’s goal isn’t to put anyone in prison forever.
“Justice is doing the right thing,” he said. “I don’t know what the end result is going to be, but we just want the right thing to happen.”
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