Sheriff’s Office books two Violet men with second-degree murder in Oct. 11 shooting death of Joseph “Blue” Cosse in Violet

Eugene Domino

Keith Thompson

St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s detectives have booked two Violet men who are cousins with second-degree murder in the Oct. 11 shooting death of Joseph “Blue” Cosse, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Arrested were Keith Thompson, 23, who was booked while incarcerated in St. Bernard Parish Prison where he has been held on other charges since Oct. 15, and his cousin, Eugene Domino, 21.

A judge Thursday set a $500,000 bond for Domino, being held in lieu of bond in the St. Bernard Parish Prison. He has a prior arrest record which includes narcotics charges.

Thompson will have bond set Friday on the murder count. He was already jailed on charges of a convicted felon in illegal possession of firearms – a shotgun and handgun found in his house in the 3200 block of Daniel Drive – with possession with intent to distribute about 17 grams of crack worth nearly $1,700, possession of a firearms in connection with a controlled, dangerous substance and as a probation violator.

Thompson’s arrest history includes an arrest in December 2012 after being involved in a shootout with several other people in which no one was hurt. He has also been arrested for assault and on weapons charges.

Sheriff’s detectives had sought and obtained warrants from a judge for the arrests of Thompson and Domino, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

The sheriff said both men had been considered suspects early on after Cosse was shot to death while riding a bicycle in Violet the night of Oct. 11, collapsing and dying on the front lawn of a house on Tara Drive.

Recently, sheriff’s detectives had developed information which enabled them to arrest Thompson and Domino, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

The sheriff said, “Our people worked hard to solve the murder of Joseph Cosse.’’ His was the fourth murder of the year in St. Bernard Parish and arrests have been made in each.

Cosse’s death came just three nights after another man, Truy Jones, 19, was shot multiple times in the 3100 block of Daniel Drive on Oct. 8. The next day, Gregory Reddick, 18, who had recently moved to St. Bernard, was arrested for Jones’ killing and remains jailed.

Sheriff Pohlmann has said it was believed Cosse was killed partially in retaliation for the Jones murder because Cosse and Reddick knew each other. Thompson and Domino were associated of Jones, the sheriff said.

At the time of his death, Jones was out on bond after he was arrested for looting in St. Bernard Parish during Hurricane Isaac in August 2012.

Sheriff Pohlmann stressed the latest arrests of Thompson and Domino should send a signal that the Sheriff’s Office won’t stand for “vendetta-type killings which perpetuate a non-ending cycle of violence.”