6 weeks after Cedar Grove murders, friend reflects on warning signs, mental health struggles

The killings stunned the community, but few were more shocked than those who knew Elkins personally and remembered him as a devoted father.

Lezhaurreon Hakeem Reed met Elkins through their service in the Army National Guard. Reed, who worked as a chef, recalled Elkins constantly looking for ways to provide for his growing family.

"I think me and a few of the other guys that knew him were like, 'This can't be true; It can't be him doing it.' We know he loved the kids," Reed said.

Reed said Elkins often brought his children to activities and seemed to genuinely enjoy spending time with them.

"Most guys around my age, and his, they weren't like him. They didn't seem like they wanted to be around kids all the time," Reed said. "He definitely was totally different from them. He brought his kids up at almost any activity."

At the time Reed first met him, Elkins had four children. He would eventually become the father of seven.

Reed believes Elkins' difficult childhood may have influenced the way he approached fatherhood.

"I'm not sure what actually triggered everything for him to go fully down," Reed said. "But he started off as someone who wanted to help and wanted to love and wanted attention. I feel like those kids were the ones who gave him that love."

Experts who study so-called family annihilators have noted that many offenders build much of their identity around their role as a husband, father and provider.

During a previous interview, domestic violence expert Jacquelyn Campbell, author of "Assessing Dangerousness," explained that some perpetrators view the loss of their family as a loss of their entire identity.

"We have seen people — men, it's almost always men — leave a note that says, 'If my wife is going to leave me, we are all better off dead,'" Campbell said.

In the years before the tragedy, Reed said Elkins told him he had been experiencing nightmares and hallucinations. Both men faced the uncertainty of military deployments that were repeatedly scheduled and then canceled, sometimes resulting in lost income and disrupted careers.

Reed said he eventually sought help for his own mental health struggles, left the military and now works in the restaurant industry in Austin. He believes too many veterans face barriers when trying to access mental health care.

"I understand that mental health is something that's really hard for young males to talk about and discuss," Reed said. "When they push you out, nobody really cares."

According to a recent military report, more than 6,000 veterans died by suicide in 2023. In Louisiana, 83 veteran suicides were reported, a rate higher than the national average.

Mental health professionals say recognizing warning signs and having direct conversations about mental health can be critical. A counselor with Volunteers of America emphasized the importance of reaching out when someone appears to be struggling and encouraging them to seek help before a crisis develops.

As family members, friends and the Cedar Grove community continue to mourn, many are left searching for answers about how a man remembered by some as a devoted father became the center of one of the area's most devastating family tragedies.