BATON ROUGE — A TikTok star accused of murdering a Baton Rouge therapist had his charges upgraded to first-degree murder, prosecutors said.

Terryon Thomas, 20, is accused of murdering William Nicholas “Nick” Abraham, 69. District Attorney Hillar Moore said that the charge was upgraded to first-degree murder because of the victim's age.

Deputies said that Abraham was last seen alive outside of Thomas' Baton Rouge apartment complex around 11 a.m. Sept. 28. The following day, Abraham's body was found beaten, wrapped in a tarp and discarded along a Tangipahoa Parish highway. 

Thomas was arrested in Dallas on Oct. 1 and was extradited to Baton Rouge. He was booked Monday into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison and initially charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice. 

Thomas' upgraded charges can carry with them the death penalty if prosecutors pursue it. In his first appearance in court on Tuesday, a judge said Thomas will be held without bond.

When asked whether his son was guilty or not by Bess Casserleigh of the WBRZ Investigative Unit, Thomas' father said "I don't know; I wasn't there."

The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office is investigating the case. Deputies said Thomas was not Abraham's patient and are trying to determine a connection between the men.