Victim had big heart and an open door
Liz Hackenburg Staff writer
Lifelong Thibodaux resident Peter O’Neil Andras Jr. had a kind and generous spirit รณ so much so that he made it a habit to leave his door unlocked and his home open. “He was constantly giving what he had to others,” said Francis O’Neil Andras, Peter Andras’ brother, who spoke on behalf of his three brothers and 91-year-old mother, who he said is taking her son’s death “very hard.” That benevolent personality might have led Peter Andras into harm’s way Friday night. The 59-year-old apartment complex manager was found dead in his home at 1611 Ridgefield Ave., a victim of an apparent homicide, one that police said could be linked to two other unsolved slayings close to the same area. Peter Andras’ death was attributed to a combination of asphyxiation, a heart condition and stab wounds to the upper portion of his body. He was found lying on the floor when police arrived about 11 p.m. Friday. A motive for the slaying has not been confirmed, but police found evidence that the home had been burglarized and that Andras might have known his attackers. Andras’s home bore no sign of forced entry, but police said emergency responders were summoned by a concerned citizen who saw something suspicious that she thought was a medical emergency. Peter Andras was single and lived alone, his brother said. The retired Nicholls State University maintenance worker, who had put in more than 30 years of service at the school, was known to family and friends as “O’Neil Jr.” or just “Jr.,” Francis Andras said. “He liked people. Every time I went there and knocked on the door, he said, 'The door is open. Come in.’ This is very difficult for us.”Peter Andras, an avid coin and stamp collector, loved to listen to the police scanner he kept in his home. And he kept active in the community, his brother said. Peter Andras was a commissioner at local polls during elections and was a member of Woodmen of the World. His brother said Peter Andras had hung a flag outside his door in preparation for the Fourth of July and was already trying to get his family to decide on plans for that holiday and Labor Day. “He was very patriotic,” Francis Andras said. Jeremy Johnson, 21, and Steven Butler, 20, both of Thibodaux, have been arrested and charged with second degree murder as a result of an investigation into the slaying. Thibodaux Police chief Craig Melancon said Johnson confessed to the killing, but would not say whether Butler confessed. Andras’ death bears similarities to two others that happened nearby, Melancon said.
Murphy Baye, 83, was found dead in his home at 1706 Oakley Ave. in July 2004. His death was not ruled a homicide because there were no signs of trauma from blunt force or stab or gunshot wounds. Based on autopsy results, a massive heart attack was initially suspected in his death. Baye had a heart condition and had complained of chest pain, family members said last year.But blood was found inside Baye’s ransacked home, leading investigators to classify his death as suspicious. An arrest was never made in the case.
Melancon said it was possible that Baye had a heart attack from the stress of an altercation inside his home, or that he died from natural causes and someone burglarized his residence, but investigators remain unconvinced that he died of natural causes.
Another unsolved slaying that might be related to the two most recent deaths took place in 1993 about 11 houses away from Baye’s home when Eddie Filce was killed in his home. A suspect in Filce’s death never came to light. Andras, Baye and Filce had similar acquaintances and they died in similar ways, said the chief. “All three involved older gentlemen who were very friendly and had a lot of people going in and out of their homes,” Melancon said.
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