Man accused of killing Covington priest, assistant to appear in court

Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. ( WGNO ) — The trial is set to start for the man accused of murdering a Covington priest and his assistant in 2022.

The suspect, Antonio Tyson, will appear in court on Tuesday, July 2 after being indicted on charges of first-degree murder to which he pleaded not guilty.

On Nov. 27, 2022, detectives were called after someone hit a sign near the St. Tammany Parish bike trail and drove off. The investigation led detectives to discover the vehicle was registered to Ruth Prats, a St. Peter Parish Catholic Church employee.

Officers made an attempt to contact Prat about the incident but were unsuccessful. They also contacted her family, who said they hadn’t heard from her either. She was declared missing after her phone was found in a nearby dumpster.

The next day, Prat’s vehicle was seen at a store in the area, being driven by Tyson. From there, he was taken in for questioning.

Further investigation revealed that Prat was last seen with retired priest Father Otis Young on that Sunday. When police went to question Young, he was not home.

On Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, police responded to downtown Covington where two bodies were found behind a business “badly burned.”

On Dec. 1, 2022, the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office identified the remains as Young and Prat. Young’s cause of death was listed as homicide by blunt and sharp force trauma.

As a result of the discovery, Tyson, who had been released from David Wade Correctional Center on Aug. 21, 2022, was arrested on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping, obstruction of justice, resisting an officer and illegal possession of stolen things.

Surveillance footage used by officers showed an encounter between the three outside of Prat’s home. Tyson was riding a bike in the area when he began a conversation with Prat and Young. The video shows him riding off but returning on foot with what appears to be a knife and entering Prat’s home.

On March 8, 2023, Tyson was indicted and in Nov. 2023 , he made his first court appearance.

A motions hearing is scheduled for Aug. 16.

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