JEFFERSON PARISH, La. (KSLA) – A judge in Jefferson Parish sentenced a woman for the murder of a man who disappeared in Grand Isle in 1984. But the cold case that was finally closed has a connection to northwest Louisiana.

On Wednesday, November 13, 2024, Patricia Tito, now 60 years old, was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to the murder of Lester Rome. The remains of Roma, once Tito’s friend, were found two years after Tito disappeared in 1984.

Rome was 57 and owned a lounge in Grand Isle. He was last seen alive on January 9, 1984. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says Tito was a teenage girl at the time and was Rome’s live-in girlfriend. He continued to manage the hall during Rome’s absence, and continued to live in his house and drive his car until Rome’s brother arrived on the island and evicted him.

At the time, Tito told people that he was the last person to see Rome and claimed that he was taking him to the airport on a trip. He apparently told another woman that he had taken Rome’s job and that she had given him the hall and left the state.

The sheriff’s office said Tito was considered a suspect in the case, but ultimately the investigation was suspended because Rome’s body was not found.

Nearly two years after Rome was last seen, his remains were found in a well on a farm just outside Many. However, although the remains were found in 1986, they were not identified until 2021. That’s when the Sabine County Sheriff’s Office intervened. Their investigation focused on Tito, who was serving a 40-year sentence for manslaughter in 2007. Authorities say he confessed to shooting and killing a Shreveport woman on Aug. 31, 2003. This woman is Judy Winn. Tito said Winn stopped in front of his house and shot him while he was washing dishes.

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In 2021, Tito told a Sabine County detective that he was aware Rome had been killed but that he was just a witness. He blamed another man for murdering Rome; He claimed it was due to drug debt. He said the murder took place in Jefferson Parish.

Later in 2022, Tito was taken to Jefferson Parish for questioning regarding Rome’s death. She claimed that she and Roma had entered into a business relationship and that he had made sexual advances towards her. He says the business deal fell apart and Roman was killed soon after.

In December 2023, Tito was charged with the murder of Rome. On November 13, 2024, Tito pleaded guilty to second-degree murder despite objections from his court-appointed attorney. He made this criminal complaint as follows: North Carolina – AlfordHe said it was in his best interest to confess to the crime.

Tito waived the delays, and 24th Judicial District Court Judge Danyelle Taylor sentenced Tito to the mandatory sentence of life in prison without the benefits of probation, parole, and suspended sentence.

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