Louisana police say they have solved 44-year-old cold-case murder, make arrest

Louisana police say they have solved a four-decade-old cold case and arrested a man in connection to the murder of his wife.

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced an arrest was made in the case of a 1977 murder of a Golden Meadow, Louisana, woman.

Chester Vegas Sr., 78, was charged with second-degree murder in connection to the shooting that killed his wife, Diane Vegas, who was 32-years-old at the time of her death.

“We hope this arrest can begin to bring some closure to the Vegas family who have been living with questions about Diane’s death for nearly 44 years,” Sheriff Webre said in a statement.

“New information combined with the initial investigation helped us build probable cause for the arrest.”

Deputies responded to a restaurant called The Chicken House in Golden Meadow, where they discovered the body of Diane Vegas inside the restaurant with a single gunshot wound to the back on Oct.10, 1977.

Chester Vegas was considered a suspect, but the initial investigation went cold, according to the sheriff's office.

In October 2020, detectives re-opened the case and obtained new information that led to establishing probable cause for Vegas’ arrest. Detectives obtained the warrant on June 11, 2021, according to the sheriff's office.

Deputies did not detail what new evidence allowed them to make an arrest in the case.

Vegas was booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex in Thibodaux on June 11 and released after posting $50,000 bail.