OZARK, Ala. - The suspect in the 2023 murder of Tonyetta Loveless has been arrested in Alabama. 

Loveless was found dead on Jones Creek at the Ivy Park Apartments in November of 2023. Loveless' father recently spoke to WBRZ, calling for the suspect, Andre Weatherspoon, to turn himself in as he waited for justice. 

The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office confirmed that after a renewed effort to search for him, Weatherspoon was arrested in Ozark, Alabama. 

"When they caught him, I had felt a tear of joy," Loveless' father Robert Smith, said on how he reacted to hearing the news.

"Everybody in the house was joyful with tears, they couldn't hold back, we were just so happy, and we all just burst open in tears, a big ole heavy load came up on my shoulder," he said.

He says after two years of sorrow, he now feels some relief.

"She knew that I was not going to stop until I got her revenge, so I know she is smiling down from heaven that her daddy kept looking out for her even as she died to get justice for her," he said.

Smith hopes he and his family are one step closer to seeing accountability.

"The thing I am so happy about is that he ain't hurt somebody else because if you kill one person, you'll kill another," he said.

While an arrest is made, he says the fight isn't over.

"I'll be at every court appearance, I wouldn't miss this for the world," he said

Deputies said Weatherspoon will be extradited to Louisiana after he is processed.