East Baton Rouge woman charged with principal to attempted murder
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A Baton Rouge woman was arrested Friday after being accused of cooperating to shoot a man.
According to an affidavit, on Thursday, detectives with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office were called to a home in the 7300 block of Richey Drive.
When they arrived, deputies found a man in the driveway who had been shot in the arm. The man told authorities that his girlfriend, Ruby Ealy, 48, grabbed a bat during an argument. He said Ealy tried to hit him with the bat but missed. He claims Ealy's brother Darrius then appeared from the side of the home and shot him. Police records state that Ealy was the only one at the home, besides the victim, upon arrival.
Deputies interviewed Ealy and learned that she reportedly lied during the interview. She told authorities that she and the victim were the only two people present. After the victim returned from work, they argued. Ealy said she told the victim to leave, and while the two continued arguing, the victim started to pack his belongings.
Ealy claims that the victim wrapped his hands around her throat and pushed her onto the couch. She shared that the two of them continued arguing after exiting the home, before the victim was accused of throwing her over the brick wall surrounding the patio. Ealy admitted to arming herself with a bat and that the two began a physical fight inside the home. She said the victim went outside, and she heard gunshots. Once she exited the home, she saw the victim had been shot. She denied knowing or seeing the shooter and told authorities that her siblings live out of state.
After detectives confronted Ealy about her not knowing the shooter, she finally admitted that her brother Darrius was present before the shooting and was not present after. Authorities used a DMV photo of Darrius Ealy and showed it to Ruby, who confirmed that the person was her brother.
Detectives met with the victim, who confirmed Ealy's claims. The victim mentioned that after Ealy tried swinging the bat at him, he took the bat from her, and she fell to the ground. Darrius reportedly walked around the house and shot him multiple times.
He also shared that Ealy and Darrius began hitting him with fists, telling him he should die.
Darrius returned to the scene to tell Ealy to make the shooting sound justifiable. The victim verified that Darrius was the shooter.
Ealy was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on charges of principal to second-degree murder and domestic abuse battery. No bond amount has been set, according to jail records.
Is your name Ryan? Denver meetup hopes to set world record at Rockies game
Trump administration unveils more detailed proposal for steep 2026 spending cuts
When to expect your Social Security benefits for June
Buc-ee's sues Florida store over knockoff merchandise
East Baton Rouge woman charged with principal to attempted murder
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Nothing Beautiful About 21% Cuts To Social Security
the real risk is doing nothing is not only an inspirational reminder to not procrastinate it is a ... More political strategy for those who want to cut Social Security. In first 200 days into President Trump's second administration, Social Security is under both overt and covert attack. Though there are no dramatic cuts to Social Security being proposed, don't be fooled – doing nothing is doing something bad. Here's what people are asking, and what they need to know. Social Security is the foundation of retirement income for a majority of older Americans. Nearly 90% of people over 65 receive benefits, and for 40% of them, it accounts for more than half of their income. For about 1 in 7, it provides over 90% of what they live on. Social Security has never missed a payment in its 90-year history. Yet many retirees today are living on the edge. The median benefit—about $1,976 per month—is simply not enough to cover basic expenses in many parts of the country. Older women are especially vulnerable. Because they tend to earn less, live longer, and have fewer retirement savings, Social Security is often their only source of income. Without it, elder poverty in the United States—already the highest among G7 countries—would be much worse. The primary challenge is not demographic. Yes, more people are retiring than ever before—over 60 million Americans now receive Social Security retirement benefits, up from about 32 million in 1983—but we knew this would happen. Back in 1983, Congress believed it had adequately funded the program to prepare for the aging Baby Boomer population. What lawmakers did not anticipate was that wage growth would be concentrated at the top, above the Social Security payroll tax cap. As a result, most earnings growth escaped Social Security taxation. Meanwhile, more wages stagnated and a growing share went to cover health insurance—income that is also exempt from Social Security taxes. Wage stagnation, periods of unemployment, and the rise of under-the-table and gig work, where neither employers nor workers contribute to Social Security, have all reduced revenue flowing into the system. That's why the program is now paying out more than it collects. Since 2010, annual costs have exceeded tax income. The system has survived by drawing down the Trust Fund—but that fund is running out. By 2033, unless Congress acts, Social Security will only be able to pay 79% of promised benefits. This isn't a forecast anymore—it's a countdown. A 21% across-the-board cut would hit everyone – about $16,500 cut in annual benefits for a typical dual-income couple – regardless of income. Future retirees—especially Gen X and Millennials—face a far more precarious future because they have fewer defined benefit pensions, and are more likely to rely on volatile market-based savings like 401(k)s. But a 401(k) is better than nothing and 50% of U.S. workers at any one point in time have nothing – their employers don't have retirement plans. And while stocks and housing markets have grown, these gains have primarily benefited the wealthy. The median retirement savings for the bottom 50% of Americans is zero. Meanwhile out-of-pocket healthcare and long-term care costs are projected to exceed $120,000 for the average person turning 65 today. Most retirees are not prepared to bear that burden, especially with eroding Social Security benefits and Medicaid cuts. Older people need Medicaid and so do their family members – who would have paid if it weren't for Medicaid. Surprisingly, middle and upper income people will rely on Medicaid more and more for long-term care. Now, over 30% of 70-year-old singles in the bottom third of the income distribution receive Medicaid as does over 10% of singles in the top third if they survive into their 90s. And, middle - income folks who spend at least two years in a nursing home are nine times more likely to be on Medicaid than those who are not. According to PolicyLink and the Urban Institute, the median present value of lifetime Social Security benefits for Gen Z is $410,000 ($439,900 for white non-Hispanic, $359,800 for Hispanic, and $332,700 for Blacks). Research from The New School shows that among near-retirees, Social Security wealth is $188,300 for the bottom 50%, (vital because they have no retirement savings or home equity. For the middle 40%, Social Security wealth is $300,500, worth more than the $200,000 in their retirement accounts and $128,000 in home equity. There's no mystery here. The solution is revenue. One of the most effective and popular reforms would be to lift or eliminate the cap on earnings subject to the payroll tax. Right now, people stop paying into Social Security once they earn above $168,600. In effect, a millionaire pays a smaller share of their income into Social Security than a middle-class teacher or nurse. Raising revenue solutions are included in the proposed Social Security 2100 Act including: To help people save for retirement we need to creating an automatic, public supplemental retirement account to ease pressure on families hoping to live on Social Security alone. The Retirement Savings for Americans Act debated by Congress now would do that. Because inaction is the strategy. The current administration and its allies in Congress are choosing to 'do nothing'—a deeply political choice that ensures Social Security will hit the wall by 2033. That is not passive. That is deliberate negligence. A benefit cut of 21% isn't hypothetical—it's already written into law if Congress fails to act. Moreover, Trump's 'no tax on tips' proposal in the"One Big Beautiful Bill" sounds generous to workers but it would significantly reduce Social Security's revenue by about $30 billion and accelerate its insolvency to as soon as 2032, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. And there's more: 1) layoffs of 7,000 SSA workers, closure of offices, 'fraud crackdowns' that deny people access to benefits, and 2) the elimination of evaluation and independent research – on Feb. 21, 2025 D.O.G.E cut the Research and Disability Research Centers at 6 Universities – on Social Security could lead to self-dealing, politicization and inefficiency. These efforts erode the public's trust and the agency's ability to serve its mission. A letter requesting RDRCs to be reinstated from respected academics and groups advocating for the aged was sent to Republican and Democratic lawmakers – Susan Collins, Patty Murray, Tom Cole and Rose DeLauro in March. If nothing changes, benefits will be cut by 21% in less than a decade. For a median retiree, that's a loss of about $414 a month. That's not just a policy failure. It's a betrayal of a promise. Americans paid into Social Security with every paycheck they earned. To renege now is not fiscal prudence—it's political cowardice. As I've said before: enemies of Social Security don't need to pass a bill to kill it. They just need to run out the clock. Every day of inaction is an act of aggression against the system that protects our elders from poverty and indignity. It's time to stop pretending that nothing is happening to Social Security. Social Security card sinking underwater in stormy seas as concept for issues around funding of USA ... More pensions to seniors
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
3 Facts About Social Security Spousal Benefits All Couples Must Know
Spousal benefits can be more valuable than your own retirement benefits if your spouse was a higher earner. There are rules about when you can claim spousal benefits that you'll want to be aware of ahead of time. Decisions you make regarding your spousal benefits could also affect the amount of money you receive. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › Deciding when to claim Social Security benefits is often complicated since you can start your checks any time between 62 and 70, and the decision impacts both lifetime and monthly benefits. The choice becomes even more complex if you're married because it's possible one spouse may want to claim spousal benefits instead of retirement benefits. Spousal benefits are calculated based on a spouse's work history instead of the claimant's work record. If you were a lower earner, you might benefit from getting benefits based on your spouse's salary record. However, there are a lot of rules that affect how much money spousal benefits can provide and when you are eligible for them. As a result, married couples should make sure they understand the details about how spousal benefits work before either partner makes a benefits claim. In particular, there are three big facts that married couples must know. One of the first and most important things that married couples must be aware of is that it's not possible to claim spousal benefits until the spouse whose record the benefits are being claimed under has filed for their retirement benefits to begin. Say, for example, you were a stay-at-home wife, and your husband earned a lot more than you, so you want to claim spousal benefits. You would have to wait until your husband claimed his retirement checks. This is the case no matter how old you are. So, if you turned 66 and your husband was 69, and you wanted to claim spousal benefits, but he was holding off on getting his retirement checks until 70, you would have to wait another year. It doesn't matter if your spouse has actually retired yet -- your husband could still work, and you could collect your spousal benefits -- but he must have started his Social Security payments, or you can't start yours. Now, a lower earner can file for their own benefits, based on their own work record, as soon as they turn 62. So, if you had worked and earned enough to qualify for your own payment, you could file and accept the benefits you personally earned. Then, when your spouse does claim retirement checks, you can switch over to spousal benefits at that point. Many couples use this strategy to start getting some Social Security money into the household while the higher-earning spouse delays benefits to increase the monthly income they'll eventually collect. It's also important to know how much spousal benefits are worth so lower earners can determine if they will be more or less than the amount they could get on their own work history. Spousal benefits cap out at 50% of the higher earner's primary insurance amount (PIA). That's the standard benefit they would get at full retirement age. It's based on average earnings throughout the 35 highest-earning years of their career. So, if the higher-earning spouse had a $2,000 standard benefit, the most the lower earner could receive is $1,000. If the higher-earning spouse waits beyond full retirement age to increase monthly benefits, they can end up with a larger check, but it won't affect spousal benefit payments. If you were a stay-at-home wife and your husband, who had a bigger salary, waited an extra year and brought his benefits to $2,160 by earning delayed retirement credits, your max spousal benefit would not increase to $1,080. It would still be $1,000. Finally, it's important to know that delayed retirement credits are not available for spousal benefits. Spousal benefits can be reduced if the person claiming them files for benefits to begin before reaching their own full retirement age. But they won't increase as a result of waiting longer to claim after FRA. This means there is no benefit to the lower earner to waiting beyond FRA, and they should start getting payments then if they can. By understanding these rules, married couples can make the best, most informed choices about when each spouse can claim benefits. By maxing out lifetime income through strategic claiming choices, hopefully, couples can set themselves up for more financial security as retirees. If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. One easy trick could pay you as much as $23,760 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Join Stock Advisor to learn more about these Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 3 Facts About Social Security Spousal Benefits All Couples Must Know was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Don't Apply for Social Security on This Day of the Week
Timing can make a big difference when applying for Social Security benefits. While the application process is available year-round, certain days and times may lead to longer wait times, delayed processing and added frustration, especially if individuals need to speak with a representative. Check Out: Read More: Here's what experts say about the worst day to apply, the best times to reach out and how to prepare. Mondays are often the busiest day of the week for the Social Security Administration (SSA). After the weekend, phone lines and field offices face a surge in inquiries, resulting in longer wait times and slower application processing. 'Monday is the worst day to apply,' said Seann Malloy, founder and managing partner at Malloy Law Offices. 'Call volumes on Mondays can be up to 30% higher than in the middle of the week, straining the agency's staff and slowing processing.' Colin Ruggiero, co-founder of which helps people with disabilities navigate government benefits, tracks SSA activity closely. According to Ruggiero, the agency handles over 500,000 phone calls each month. 'If you plan to contact the SSA on a Monday or Friday between 6 and 7 p.m., that's the worst time to call,' Ruggiero said. 'Many people wait until the end of the day to reach out, often due to other priorities, but this overwhelms representatives just as the day is winding down.' Explore Next: Midweek, especially Tuesday through Thursday, is often the best time to apply for Social Security benefits. These days, there tends to be lighter traffic, meaning shorter wait times and quicker access to help if you need assistance with your application. 'The biggest issue is volume,' said Jake Falcon, CEO at Falcon Wealth Advisors. 'Whether you're calling, visiting an office or applying online, you're competing with a surge of other applicants. That can lead to system slowdowns, longer hold times and even errors if you're rushing through the process.' Falcon added, 'I've had clients get frustrated and abandon the process altogether, only to come back later and realize they missed something important.' That's why Falcon said he recommended that clients apply during midweek, specifically Tuesday through Thursday, in the mornings. 'SSA offices and systems are less overwhelmed, and staff are more available to help,' Falcon said. 'If you're applying online, aim for early in the day when traffic is lighter and you're less likely to hit a bottleneck.' Ruggiero said one of the main challenges applicants face is being on hold when calling the SSA. He said the average hold time could be as long as 2 hours and 15 minutes. 'Earlier in the day gives you the highest likelihood of waiting for a shorter period of time,' Ruggiero said. 'It appears that 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday is the least busy with the shortest wait times to get through to a representative, ranging from 21 minutes to 1 hour of wait time. So, if you are going to apply by phone, you should try to do it as early as possible in the day.' Applicants can speed up the process by applying online through the SSA's official website, which typically avoids the long wait times associated with phone or in-person visits. Having all required documents ready in advance, such as a birth certificate, Social Security number and income history also helps reduce delays and ensures a smoother application. Malloy advised Social Security applicants to double and triple check forms and use the SSA's checklist to 'avoid the notorious delays' reported by AARP. More From GOBankingRates 25 Places To Buy a Home If You Want It To Gain Value 4 Housing Markets That Have Plummeted in Value Over the Past 5 Years This article originally appeared on Don't Apply for Social Security on This Day of the Week