Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced an arrest has been made in the case of a 1977 murder of a Golden Meadow woman. Chester Vegas Sr., 78, of Cut Off has been charged with Second Degree Murder in the shooting that killed his wife, Diane Vegas, who was 32 years old at the time of her death.

“We hope this arrest can begin to bring some closure to the Vegas family who have been living with questions about Diane’s death for nearly 44 years,” said Sheriff Webre. “New information combined with the initial investigation helped us build probable cause for the arrest.”

On October 10, 1977, deputies responded to a restaurant called The Chicken House at 1908 North Bayou Drive in Golden Meadow. They discovered the body of Diane Vegas inside the restaurant with a single gunshot wound to the back.

Chester Vegas was considered a suspect until the initial investigation went cold. In October 2020, detective re-opened the case and obtained new information that led to establishing probable cause for Chester Vegas’ arrest. Detectives obtained the warrant on June 11, 2021.

Detectives made contact with Vegas on Friday, June 11, and he was placed under arrest. He was booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex in Thibodaux on one count of Second Degree Murder. He was released Friday night after posting $50,000 bail.