Post by goldenepiphany on Jan 27, 2008 22:18:25 GMT -5
Students' deaths 'a shock'
Murder-suicide devastates family, friends of couple
Amanda McElfresh
amcelfresh@theadvertiser.com
Keosha Spikes had a personality that lit up a room. A natural leader with an easy charm and constant smile, she couldn't resist becoming involved in whichever activities caught her attention and inviting others to come along for the ride.
While a student at Bogalusa High School, Spikes thrived as a member of the honor society and dance team. When she came to Lafayette to attend UL, she immediately made a name for herself as an active member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, where she bonded with other young women trying to find their way in the world.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Keosha was a young lady for anybody, any family, to be proud of," said her aunt, Lynne Toler. "She was just a sweet, smart, talented girl. She loved her family, and she always tried to do the right thing. We were all very proud of her."
Within the past couple of years, Spikes began dating a high school classmate, Derrick Fland, according to family members. Unlike Spikes, Fland was reserved and deeply troubled after a stint in the U.S. Army, but was trying to make progress as a student at UL.
Family members said they didn't see signs of trouble in the relationship, and it is unclear what happened early Friday evening in an apartment the two shared in the 300 block of McDonald Street.
What authorities do know is that Fland shot Spikes, leaving her body in the apartment. He then drove more than 150 miles to Bogalusa, where he shot himself to death.
Both were 22 years old.
On Saturday, Keosha's father, Leverne Spikes, recalled scenes from young Keosha's life. He could see the excitement in her eyes whenever he gave her a special treat - a ride to school in his police car.
"I was a police officer, and when she would miss the bus, I would always take her to school," Spikes said. "She loved that. She was excited about having a policeman as a father."
Leverne Spikes also was a Little League coach for several years, and little Keosha accompanied her father around the state when his team traveled to games as far away at Lake Charles. To the team, having the coach's daughter on the bus was just a regular part of the trip.
"She was my baby, and she always came along," Spikes said. "She was very close to me, very close to all of us."
Spikes moved to Lafayette to attend UL with the goal of becoming a teacher, her father said. But along the way, she changed her mind and opted to major in business management.
The change required Spikes to spend another year at UL to complete her courses, her father said. Friends said she was scheduled to graduate at the end of the spring semester.
Toler said Spikes was committed to using her degree to help others.
"She wanted to get a job doing something in business and something that helped the community," Toler said. "She was interested in starting a businesses and helping other people start businesses."
Derrick Fland also had hopes of one day starting his own business, said his mother, Vernita Fland.
Fland said her son was "a loving person" who was close to his family. Like Spikes, he was active at Bogalusa High as a member of the band, track tream and Beta club. In his spare time, he enjoyed working out and working with computers.
After graduating from high school, Fland enrolled in the Army, where he completed basic training and spent time stationed in Germany, his mother said. Although he was never assigned to a combat zone, the experience changed him, she said.
"It was like his mind was corrupted. He never was the same," Vernita Fland said. "I guess the things he saw just messed with him mentally. He would become depressed easily and cry a lot."
Fland tried multiple times to get help, with no success.
"He went several times to the VA hospital, and he said they wouldn't accept him," Vernita Fland said. "He had gotten an honorable discharge, so he thought that would help him see somebody, but he told me he would always be denied."
As Fland battled with his emotions, Spikes thrived at UL. She quickly became a leading member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority and served as an officer on the National Pan-Hellenic Council, which oversees several Greek organizations.
Patricia Cottonham, associate dean of students and director of Greek affairs at UL, said Spikes also had been a member of the university's student orientation team.
According to the UL Athletic Network Web site, she was a member of the Ragin' Peppers in 2004 and 2005. The group members assist recruits and their families on trips to campus and decorate the football team's locker room before each game.
"I knew Keosha best as a leader in her sorority and as an NPHC officer," Cottonham said. "She was very hard-working and she always had a smile on her face. I found out today about her being a member of our student orientation staff at one time, and they are the students that make the first impression. To do that kind of job and just to be so involved in her sorority, you've just got to have this personality where you love people and love interacting with people, and that's the kind of person she was."
When Spikes' and Fland's paths crossed again at UL, the relationship turned romantic, family members said. Leverne Spikes said he was surprised when he learned his daughter was dating Fland, but had no reason to be concerned about the relationship.
"I thought he was a fine fellow," Spikes said. "I never saw them arguing. I didn't know of any problems between them. If there were (problems), she never did tell me. I'd let my two younger kids stay with her, and he would bring them back, and it was always fine. I didn't know anything bad about him."
Vernita Fland said the family was still stunned about Friday's events.
"We were all definitely surprised," Fland said. "It's just a shock."
Cottonham said the tragedy has shocked the sorority. Such groups are not only social organizations, but sisterhoods.
"This is a very close group of women. They're a family when they're here on the campus. Many of the girls are not from here, so their experiences in the sorority, the things they do together, whether it's social time or community service, are a big part of their lives. They are very, very close, and this is a very, very hard time for them."
Cottonham said the sorority and university officials haven't yet determined if any memorial services will be held for Spikes or Fland. Such decisions will likely be made early next week.
UL president Ray Authement issued a statement Saturday:
"The university community is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of two of its students, Keosha Spikes and Derrick Fland. Their lives ended at such a young age."
Cottonham emphasized that the thoughts of the university community are with both the Spikes and Fland families.
"They both had friends, and they were both loved," she said. "Even though I didn't know Derrick, I know his family and friends are suffering. There are two families who are grieving the loss of their children tonight."
Murder-suicide devastates family, friends of couple
Amanda McElfresh
amcelfresh@theadvertiser.com
Keosha Spikes had a personality that lit up a room. A natural leader with an easy charm and constant smile, she couldn't resist becoming involved in whichever activities caught her attention and inviting others to come along for the ride.
While a student at Bogalusa High School, Spikes thrived as a member of the honor society and dance team. When she came to Lafayette to attend UL, she immediately made a name for herself as an active member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, where she bonded with other young women trying to find their way in the world.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Keosha was a young lady for anybody, any family, to be proud of," said her aunt, Lynne Toler. "She was just a sweet, smart, talented girl. She loved her family, and she always tried to do the right thing. We were all very proud of her."
Within the past couple of years, Spikes began dating a high school classmate, Derrick Fland, according to family members. Unlike Spikes, Fland was reserved and deeply troubled after a stint in the U.S. Army, but was trying to make progress as a student at UL.
Family members said they didn't see signs of trouble in the relationship, and it is unclear what happened early Friday evening in an apartment the two shared in the 300 block of McDonald Street.
What authorities do know is that Fland shot Spikes, leaving her body in the apartment. He then drove more than 150 miles to Bogalusa, where he shot himself to death.
Both were 22 years old.
On Saturday, Keosha's father, Leverne Spikes, recalled scenes from young Keosha's life. He could see the excitement in her eyes whenever he gave her a special treat - a ride to school in his police car.
"I was a police officer, and when she would miss the bus, I would always take her to school," Spikes said. "She loved that. She was excited about having a policeman as a father."
Leverne Spikes also was a Little League coach for several years, and little Keosha accompanied her father around the state when his team traveled to games as far away at Lake Charles. To the team, having the coach's daughter on the bus was just a regular part of the trip.
"She was my baby, and she always came along," Spikes said. "She was very close to me, very close to all of us."
Spikes moved to Lafayette to attend UL with the goal of becoming a teacher, her father said. But along the way, she changed her mind and opted to major in business management.
The change required Spikes to spend another year at UL to complete her courses, her father said. Friends said she was scheduled to graduate at the end of the spring semester.
Toler said Spikes was committed to using her degree to help others.
"She wanted to get a job doing something in business and something that helped the community," Toler said. "She was interested in starting a businesses and helping other people start businesses."
Derrick Fland also had hopes of one day starting his own business, said his mother, Vernita Fland.
Fland said her son was "a loving person" who was close to his family. Like Spikes, he was active at Bogalusa High as a member of the band, track tream and Beta club. In his spare time, he enjoyed working out and working with computers.
After graduating from high school, Fland enrolled in the Army, where he completed basic training and spent time stationed in Germany, his mother said. Although he was never assigned to a combat zone, the experience changed him, she said.
"It was like his mind was corrupted. He never was the same," Vernita Fland said. "I guess the things he saw just messed with him mentally. He would become depressed easily and cry a lot."
Fland tried multiple times to get help, with no success.
"He went several times to the VA hospital, and he said they wouldn't accept him," Vernita Fland said. "He had gotten an honorable discharge, so he thought that would help him see somebody, but he told me he would always be denied."
As Fland battled with his emotions, Spikes thrived at UL. She quickly became a leading member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority and served as an officer on the National Pan-Hellenic Council, which oversees several Greek organizations.
Patricia Cottonham, associate dean of students and director of Greek affairs at UL, said Spikes also had been a member of the university's student orientation team.
According to the UL Athletic Network Web site, she was a member of the Ragin' Peppers in 2004 and 2005. The group members assist recruits and their families on trips to campus and decorate the football team's locker room before each game.
"I knew Keosha best as a leader in her sorority and as an NPHC officer," Cottonham said. "She was very hard-working and she always had a smile on her face. I found out today about her being a member of our student orientation staff at one time, and they are the students that make the first impression. To do that kind of job and just to be so involved in her sorority, you've just got to have this personality where you love people and love interacting with people, and that's the kind of person she was."
When Spikes' and Fland's paths crossed again at UL, the relationship turned romantic, family members said. Leverne Spikes said he was surprised when he learned his daughter was dating Fland, but had no reason to be concerned about the relationship.
"I thought he was a fine fellow," Spikes said. "I never saw them arguing. I didn't know of any problems between them. If there were (problems), she never did tell me. I'd let my two younger kids stay with her, and he would bring them back, and it was always fine. I didn't know anything bad about him."
Vernita Fland said the family was still stunned about Friday's events.
"We were all definitely surprised," Fland said. "It's just a shock."
Cottonham said the tragedy has shocked the sorority. Such groups are not only social organizations, but sisterhoods.
"This is a very close group of women. They're a family when they're here on the campus. Many of the girls are not from here, so their experiences in the sorority, the things they do together, whether it's social time or community service, are a big part of their lives. They are very, very close, and this is a very, very hard time for them."
Cottonham said the sorority and university officials haven't yet determined if any memorial services will be held for Spikes or Fland. Such decisions will likely be made early next week.
UL president Ray Authement issued a statement Saturday:
"The university community is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of two of its students, Keosha Spikes and Derrick Fland. Their lives ended at such a young age."
Cottonham emphasized that the thoughts of the university community are with both the Spikes and Fland families.
"They both had friends, and they were both loved," she said. "Even though I didn't know Derrick, I know his family and friends are suffering. There are two families who are grieving the loss of their children tonight."
{=}{/=}
