Glam beautician shot dead by ex-husband in murder-suicide during bitter custody battle over their kids
A young beautician was gunned down by her ex-husband in an apparent murder-suicide amid a bitter custody battle over their young children, according to police.
Meridian Thomas Woodson, a 28-year-old mom who also had 23 siblings, was found dead inside her apartment in Elmwood, Louisiana, on Thursday by police who were “called to a disturbance,” according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Officers then found the “suspect vehicle” in a nearby parking lot — where the slain mom’s musclebound ex-husband, Kody Woodson, 30, was “suffering from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the sheriff said.
Louisiana beautician Meridian Thomas Woodson was found shot dead in her apartment.Meridian Thomas Woodson / Facebook
Meridian Woodson was believed to have been killed by her ex-husband.Meridian Thomas Woodson / FacebookHe was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he later died of his injuries.
The pair had been fighting over custody of their kids — Paisley, 4, and Lileigh, 7 — and were scheduled to attend a hearing on June 18, according to court records obtained by WDSU.
The former husband and wife had been engaged in a years-long legal battle, and Meridian had previously accused Kody of abusing her and threatening her with a gun, records show.
Meridian claimed that Kody had physically attacked her after she told him she wanted a divorce in January 2024, court records show.
Her ex-husband, Kody Woodson, was discovered in an adjacent parking lot with gunshot wounds.Meridian Thomas Woodson / Facebook
A few weeks later, he reportedly “grabbed her phone from her hand [and] grabbed her by the arm and threw her to the ground,” after flying into a “jealous rage,” Meridian wrote in her divorce petition.
In a separate incident, Meridian claimed she heard “the distinctive sound of a gun being cocked,” before finding Kody with a gun inside the apartment, records show.
Kody reportedly told Meridian, “You’re making me hurt you, you always make me hurt you,” during a separate argument, according to the filing.
A GoFundMe has been set up to support Meridian’s two young children.Meridian Thomas Woodson / Facebook
The former husband denied many of the allegations and accused Meridian of violent behavior in his own court filing.
He said Meridian had a history of “choking, slapping, scratching, [and] biting” him in his answer and counterclaim.
Kody referenced an incident on Feb. 27, 2024, when Meridian was arrested over a violent argument in front of their two children.
Meridian claimed she was acting in self-defense and said Kody’s evidence to the police was taken out of context, her court filing shows.
Kody Woodson with Meridian Woodson. Kody’s suspected of shooting Meridian before turning the gun on himself.Meridian Thomas Woodson / Facebook“Meridian was a light in everyone’s life,” an online fundraiser reads, adding that she was “a second mom to many of her 23 siblings.”
The investigation remains ongoing, the sheriff’s office said.
SOURE: https://nypost.com/2026/06/04/us-news/glam-beautician-shot-dead-by-ex-husband-in-murder-suicide-during-bitter-custody-battle-over-their-kids/
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