Law&Crime Sidebar - TikTok Star Hit with Murder Charge After Therapist’s Body Found Wrapped in Tarp

Episode Date: October 3, 2024

Terryon Thomas, 20, goes by the moniker “Mr. Prada” on social media. He has now been officially charged with murder after Dr. Nicholas Abraham, a therapist in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area, was found dead nearly 60 miles away. Police say his body was wrapped in a tarp and partially hidden in a wooded area along a road. Law&Crime’s Elizabeth Millner analyzes what could be at the root of Thomas’s alleged crime spree with Shari Botwin, a licensed clinical social worker and trauma expert.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: Download the FREE Upside App at https://upside.app.link/sidebar to get an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas.HOST:Jesse Weber: https://twitter.com/jessecordweberLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokeVideo Editing - Michael Deininger and Christina FalconeScript Writing & Producing - Savannah WilliamsonGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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keep you on the edge of your seat. Don't let your fears take hold of you as you dive into this addictive series. Love thrillers with a paranormal twist? The entire Oracle trilogy is available on Audible. Listen now on Audible. A TikTok star is getting a lot more attention from some new followers, law enforcement. The 20-year-old, known as Mr. Prada online, has been arrested, accused of killing a therapists in another state. Could this be connected to allegations of misconduct against that counselor? We're digging into the large-scale investigation and how something like this could happen with the licensed clinical social worker and trauma expert. Welcome to Sidebar presented by Law and Crime. I'm Elizabeth Milner in for Jesse Weber. Over the last several days,

rumors have been building online about an influencer whose real name is Terrian Thomas. The 20-year-old might be better known by his username Mr. Prada and has more than four million followers on TikTok. And I will admit I used to watch some of his videos. Now, according to people who follow him online, Thomas has been behaving more and more erratically. For example, he posted a video of himself shaving his head, leaving little patches of hair all over. He also posted in May of last year about practicing his mugshot because this might be the year someone's going to meet God if they make him too angry. Now, it's Thomas's actually. Mugshot that's making rounds on social media. He was detained on Tuesday in Dallas, Texas after he fled from a traffic stop where he was spotted driving a dead man's car. And we're just learned he's officially been charged with murder. So here's a timeline of what we know so far. Dr. Nicholas Abraham's body was found on Sunday, September 29th, wrapped in a tarp on the side of the road in Louisiana. Deputies say his body was hidden partially in the woods about 60 miles away from where he worked. The 69 year old was a mental health therapist.

based in Baton Rouge, as well as a former Catholic priest. He also made regular appearances on Baton Rouge television. The coroner determined Dr. Abraham died from blunt force trauma as a result of homicide. Investigators in Louisiana have been working to figure out exactly where Abraham was killed. The sheriff said no weapons were found near his body and a search of his home turned up with no clues. His roommate told deputies that Abraham said he was going to have his car cleaned and do some paperwork at his office on Saturday, but never came back. On Monday, deputies released Abraham's identity.

Then later that same day, an officer spotted an SUV that had a license plate that came back as stolen. When the officer tried to do a traffic stop, the driver backed the SUV into the officer's patrol car, then ran off on foot. Officials released surveillance video showing the last person known to be driving that SUV. When they posted these photos online, people immediately started making the connection between the man in the picture and Mr. Prada, saying the two look just alike. On Tuesday, officers in Dallas, Texas, we're able to take Thomas into custody. He's charged with allegedly having a stolen vehicle, running from police, and now murder. So what do we know about Dr. Nicholas Abraham? Abraham's website reads, Dr. Nick specializes in addiction, substance abuse, anxiety and depression, relationship growth,

adolescent, and adult developmental issues and sexual identity concerns. He has further expertise in men's health and wellness issues and is a member of the Louisiana counseling association. The website goes on to say that he not only has a Ph.D. in counseling, but a master's degree in religious studies and a master's degree in theology. But the speculation around this murder mystery was whipped into frenzy when it was revealed that Abraham had been arrested in the past for allegedly touching a boy inappropriately during a counseling session. That arrest happened back in 2015. Abraham was arrested and released on a $25,000 bond. A prosecutor decided not to take the case to trial. In a statement, District Attorney Hiller Moore told local affiliate W.A.F.B. While there was

probable cause for an arrest, my office had to determine if the evidence supported our burden at trial, which is proved beyond a reasonable doubt. This matter was under review by my office for approximately two years. After considering all available evidence, the best interest of the child and the lack of inculpatory statements by the arrestee, we decline to institute formal charges. Many people have wondered, is it possible that the alleged victim in that case is Terry on Thomas? The attorney for Abraham in the previous case says absolutely not. So for now, the motive for the killing is still under investigation. You know, we cover a lot of horrific and tough stories here at law and crime,

and part of the reason we're able to keep bringing you these types of stories is because of our great sponsors. So I really want to take a quick moment to thank upside for. sponsoring us. So if you're wondering what's upside, well it's a free app that gets you cash back on daily essentials like gas and groceries. And it's actual real cashback too. The money appears in your upside app that you can transfer straight into your bank account. So here's what you do. You download the upside app, then claim an offer for whatever you're buying on upside. I went to 7-Eleven, got some candy, some other snacks, use the app and honestly, it's super easy. You can use the app at places like Shell, Exxon, fast food favorites like Taco Bell,

match just to name a few. So to find out how much you could earn, download upside or click the link in the description and use our promo code sidebar to get 25 cents back on every gallon on your first tank of gas. Again, that's promo code sidebar for an extra 25 cents back on your first gallon of gas. Well, joining us now to discuss this case further is licensed clinical social worker, trauma expert, and author of Stolen Childhoods Thriving After Abuse, Sherry Botwin. Sherry, it's always so great to see you. You know, Mr. Prada was a really well-known content creator on TikTok. I think for many people, including myself, it was shocking to see him as a persons of interest in a murder, let alone now a suspect in the murder. What's

been your reaction to this case? I think mostly shock and disbelief and what was going on? What happened? I have, I have like a list of questions running through my mind. It's a really sad story. And, you know, Mr. Prada, as his username was, he was. He was. Pretty funny on TikTok, but what he's accused of doing is pretty horrendous, you know, stealing the therapist's car, dropping the victim off on the side of the road, fleeing to another state and just let alone this whole murder aspect of it all. What are your thoughts given that he was just this kind of in a way, upbeat personality, let alone that flip side now where he's accused of this dark and horrific thing? I think what happens with social media, especially someone like him who's. an influencer on TikTok constantly making these videos. You get a perspective. You get one side of a person, but you don't really know what's going on behind the scenes. You don't know what's

going on inside of him. One of the things I was thinking about was, was he using TikTok as a place to create a part of his personality that he thrived on, whether it was connecting with other people, getting the attention, or even just if he's having a day where he's feeling really angry or really happy or really upset. Is he going on social media to share that particular part of him? But then behind the scenes, what's going on inside of him? And was he using TikTok as a coping mechanism or a way to feel like he has some control or that people will like him? It's just so hard to say because I've never met him, but I know that he, he did talk some about what was going on in his mind. And at one point, he alluded to being bipolar. So when I hear that, I think, you know, again, I don't know him, but it sounds like he had some awareness that he was really struggling.

What are your thoughts about the pressure that a lot of TikTok content creators face? Because again, he's, he's only 20 years old, but he had a following of, I think more than four million followers. It's a lot of people kind of following your day-to-day life. But what are your thoughts on how maybe the pressure of social media may have played a part and kind of him maybe snapping in a way, allegedly? So we don't know what his followers are saying. If you go back and read all the comments, I'm sure we would find comments that might have been mean or critical. And I think, too, once you're an influencer, the expectation is that you be making these videos,

you be on visible to the to your followers probably multiple times a day. And I think that alone, especially for someone who's young and someone who may be struggling with some type of mental health issue, what it does is it exacerbates all of the insecurities that someone struggles with. And I think for some people, the pressure can really get them to a point where they become, whether it's homicidal, suicidal. Again, we're not hearing that side of him because he wasn't sharing any of that. One of the hopes I have as this case unfolds is I want to find out more about him.

I want to know more about what he was thinking. Of course, I want to know what his relationship was with this particular therapist. So I think right now there's a lot of questions that we don't have the answers to. but once you become an influencer and once your name is out there, there are a lot of expectations that you can put on yourself or that others will put on you. And it can be dangerous for some people. Many of his viewers and followers have speculated he might have had mental health issues that he was conveying on the internet. You see him on video after he shaved his head. Do you think he was conveying to his audience that may have not known at the time that he was experiencing a mental health crisis?

That was my first reaction when I watched the video with him having shaved his head. He does allude to being bipolar. So one of the things I'm thinking is, is this a way for him to signal to people that he needs help? Is this the part of him that doesn't feel like people are listening? Does anybody behind the scenes in his family, his close friends, whoever he's connected to, do they know what's really going on inside of him? Those are some of the questions that I have. And again, one of the things I know because I work with a lot of young adults who use social media, who posts on social media, people use social media to get the word out.

So for some people, it can be very helpful if you're a survivor of something like sexual assault and you're trying to get support, you go on social media and you find out there's so many other hashtag me too. But in this situation, I feel like he was alluding to the fact that there might have been something wrong, but we don't really know what was wrong. And we don't know what he was thinking and what he was trying to get out of having this public platform. And there's a term that you see a lot on TikTok. It's called crash out or crashing out. While sometimes it's used kind of in a funny way, many online have thought that Mr. Prada was crashing out. Giving your expertise, what do you kind of make of that? I mean, the term itself is a bit concerning. It makes me think of when clients come in and they say, I'm hitting rock bottom or I can't do this anymore. It almost, what it makes me think is that's when someone's at the breaking point. So whether they're at the breaking point of feeling extremely angry or they haven't slept in days, or if in fact they are struggling with bipolar, crash out could be hitting rock bottom and feeling homicidal, suicide. but it also can mean for someone who has bipolar that they're at the height of the mania phase.

And it's a word that I think when people use it, we really have to be careful what we, how we interpret that and how we respond. So if he's going on social media and describing feeling like that or other people are saying that to me, that's a warning sign, that's a red flag. And what are your thoughts on the allegations

that the therapist had also faced where he was accused years ago of inappropriately touching a young boy. What are your thoughts kind of given that aspect? Although the lawyer for the therapist has said that, you know, Mr. Prada had nothing to do with that or anything like that. He's not the alleged victim in that case. But what are your thoughts given that added aspect of the allegations the therapist also faced previously? I mean, I think we're going to find out. I think that those are allegations that are obviously very. concerning and like you said that charge was dismissed and we don't know anything really about that

part of his story but we will find out you know people have to understand that when there are therapists doctors teachers that doesn't mean that they are perfect or that they too may not have something going on whether they're struggling with a mental illness so it's an interesting aspect of the story. And it's obviously for me, one of the questions that I have, what was his relationship like with this person? Was he seeing him for therapy? What were the boundaries in that relationship? So I think what we're going to find out, it's interesting that that part of his past has come out because it's going to leave people with a lot of questions. And I think another kind of interesting aspect of this whole case is just how much the internet kind of played a role in

And what I believe to be kind of catching the suspect in this case, as soon as that persons of interest photo came out, people immediately started making that connection that this is Mr. Prada. What are your thoughts on kind of the aspect that a lot of his followers, a lot of people who have followed him throughout his career, kind of helped play a role in him getting apprehended by law enforcement. I mean, again, I can only imagine what Mr. Prott is thinking. But once you go out there, once you become a public figure, everybody's going to. going to know who you are, at least his followers. And the thing to keep in mind with social media is people have a love, hate relationship with influencers. There are some people that sound like they adored him.

They found him to be entertaining. But then there were some people I was reading about who were not surprised at all when they heard about the allegations. And again, those are the people that if they see him, they will make a call. And that's the thing that you have to keep in mind. you're no longer going to be able to be you're no longer going to remain private when you're being followed by eight million people and the eight million people that follow him they didn't all love him and again it's just about four million people still millions of viewers still millions

of followers but just to clarify just four million a little more than four million i should say well sherry bought when i appreciate your time today and joining us on sidebar before we sign you off is there anything else you'd like to add I mean, the thing I just want to say is this is a story that there's different messages that we need to walk away with. Number one, if you're following someone on social media and influencer and you're hearing things that are concerning or feel like red flags, I wouldn't make light of that. I think a lot of the teenagers, they don't understand bipolar disorder, depression. And I think it's important if you have teenagers that are following these type of public figures and they're telling you that this particular influencer is making jokes about something that's very serious,

definitely talk to your teenager about that and try to remember, again, social media has things that can be really good and helpful, but sometimes it can be very scary. And we don't want Mr. Prada and his influence to then lead other teenagers to do similar things, because, again, what we're finding out is, sadly, in this situation, this is not the type of person that you would want your teenager to be influenced by. All right, Sherry Botwin, again, thank you so much for your time today. I really appreciate it. Thanks for having me.

Well, that does it for this episode of Sidebar. You can check out more episodes and subscribe to us anywhere you listen to your podcast, whether it's Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. I'm Elizabeth Milner in for Jesse Weber, and this has been Sidebar presented by Law and Crime. You can binge all episodes of this Law and Crime series ad free right now on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.